Syndrome
by Diskobox
Summary: Post HBP. Ginny returns shortly to Hogwarts, only to be taken back home out of fear by her parents. After not hearing from him in months, Ginny's position in Harry's life leads her into danger.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer_: Though I'm sure you realize it, I don't own anything you might recognize in this series. Especially the characters and locations created by JK Rowling, authress of the _Harry Potter_ Series.

_Chapter One_: **Missing**

* * *

School was a veritable hell for her lately. The littlest tremor of hope for a bright outcome in the war was always met with the same fate: utter disappointment. Everyone was in mourning for the loss of someone, since so many tragedies had hit so many lives. Poor this girl and poor that boy. Poor everyone. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

Ginny slumped in her seat, the astonishment that the school was still aloft buzzing through her. It was only the second week of her sixth year, and already it seemed as if she were getting off to a bad start. Not only had she lost one of her books, but also she already had an argument with Flitwick. She had neglected her Charms essay in favor of her Potions one, knowing she wouldn't have time to finish both. While she had succeeded in her attempt to skive out of a detention, she still didn't get off without punishment. She had another essay to do now, on top of the neglected one.

The last class of the day seemed to take forever, and for her, it seemed to stretch infinitely longer. She had received word from her mother that Harry had gone missing only five days ago, and it was still weighing heavily within her. Hermione had been there for her, granted, but the loss of the only man she loved was bringing her down exceptionally fast.

The bell sounded and they were all off. Ginny grabbed her bag and slipped her wand into her pocket. She raked her vibrant red hair behind her ear and stole out of the room, not wanting to stay behind to answer any more questions.

The news she had been met with also seemed to move fast within the stone walls of the school. Everywhere she turned she heard them whispering, some even laughed about it. Harry Potter had always been the hero, something she had been thankful for, but now . . . it seemed they all found him a joke.

_How could it be_, they would ask her fervently, _that someone who defeated You-Know-Who would run off like a coward and hide in the shadows?_ No matter how much she would protest, they persisted on. _How could it be that our hero would abandon us when all hope was being lost? _She didn't know. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to know.

As she walked past the swarms of her fellow classmates, her heart pounded in her ears. Hermione was still here and was just as lost in the whole of the situation as she. Ron hadn't returned for his seventh year, and Ginny wondered if he had been connected to Harry, or if he still was. Though she hadn't had the nerve or the spirit to ask questions, she knew that she would have to soon enough.

She arrived at Gryffindor faster than she had meant to, but she was slightly thankful for her haste. The empty common room stretched out before her, the normal coziness and appeal vanishing as she allowed herself to be lost within her dark thoughts. Ginny slumped down on the couch, pulling her legs up and lying down. The soft murmurs of students entering lulled her into a deep sleep, and she fell into the placid pool of her dreams.

* * *

The day dawned brightly, Hermione jostling Ginny from her bed. How she had come to be in the dormitory she would never know, and she didn't really care at the moment. The curtains had been pulled back from the windows, sunlight pouring in over the scarlet beds. The girls woke up around her, and Ginny wanted more than anything to simply sink back into the comfort of her bed, not to be bothered by the day ahead of her.

"It's still fairly early," Hermione began in a remarkable sing-song voice, "but I think that we should get an early start, you know?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

Hermione stared down at her in awe. She shrugged it off and smiled widely, "Post comes today, and I'm expecting a letter from Ron."

Ron. Ginny groaned inwardly. A letter from Ron meant more talk of Harry, which was something she didn't want to go through. She knew that answers might lie within Ron's letters, but she was anxious and apprehensive about the whole of it. It was too much . . . too early.

"Come on," Hermione grumbled, slightly miffed by the evil eye Ginny was sending her over the crimson bed sheets.

Ginny tossed the blankets aside and stepped onto the thickly carpeted floor. She sighed as she saw that she had not changed since yesterday, uniform crumpled and wrinkled on her freckled form. Hermione smiled sheepishly and exited the room.

After removing and replacing her school attire, Ginny ascended the stairs. Her bag lay heavily on her back as she followed Hermione out of the common room and to the Great Hall.

The room bustled and hummed with excited talk, more people at breakfast than Ginny had seen in days. She spotted Lavender slumped in a seat next to Seamus and Dean. She had been forced to live without Parvati, and it didn't seem to be going well at all. Ginny remembered the tearful send-off that took place only a week into school. Parvati's mother sent word in the post that she was no longer attending, and that there had been a death in the family. She and Padma left only a day later, both dressed in cool and crisp robes of black. Lavender and Parvati always seemed inseparable, and it was hard to watch.

Of course, Ginny knew that Hermione couldn't be having it too easy either. Harry and Ron weren't around any more. The trio, the golden three . . . disbanded. It all felt like a big joke at first to Ginny, the notion that Ron and Harry weren't coming back. The notion that after being broken up with, she still wouldn't be able to talk with him. She wouldn't be able to see him. If it was hurting her this much on the inside, it must have been tenfold for Hermione.

"I think that Neville's saved us a spot."

Hermione moved through the aisles with ease, Ginny having trouble being as graceful. She knocked a couple of students in the back of the head with her bag, though she didn't stop to apologize. Only five spots away from their spot she managed to knock a girl out of her chair. The whole of the Great Hall was still laughing as Ginny sat, red-faced, in her seat.

Neville was alone, giving Ginny the opportunity to be disbanded and disjointed from the rest of the school for at least ten minutes. Hermione sat next to her, immediately pulling out a textbook and rifling through it with great haste.

"You don't look so good." Neville gave Ginny a sympathetic look. She felt like punching him.

"I'm fine," She said as gently as possible, though she could tell that her voice had a distinct trace of anger hidden inside.

Hermione gave her a admonishing look over the top of Seventh Level Transfiguration, her brown eyes full of caution. Ginny shrugged it off and pulled a plate of toast to herself. She munched on a piece as her eyes scanned the room.

The Hufflepuffs were the lightest in number, something that had come as no shock to anyone. Only a handful remained, all of whom looked very wary. They sat close, practically massed at the center of their long table. Ginny passed them over and moved to look at Ravenclaw. They had to be second in low numbers, though not closely to Hufflepuff. Luna Lovegood sat alone, far off along the table. She read airily from the latest Quibbler, her large eyes drinking in every sentence.

Next came the Slytherin table. They were surprising in their rank as the second highest amount of returning students. Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini sat closely together, Ginny assuming that Pansy was adjusting perfectly to Draco's absence. Crabbe and Goyle were gone, their entire families reported as missing. Ginny supposed this was due to their heavy affiliation with Voldemort, and wasn't ruffled in the least by that revelation. The table was nearly full, save a smattering of empty spots here and there.

Gryffindor was only missing ten students, a brave and graceful return indeed. Parvati, Harry, Ron, The Creevey's, two girls from Ginny's year, and three second years had all decided to stay away from the school. Ginny could understand most of their absences easily, but she had been amazed when Ron decided to stay home.

He was of age, and that was his most substantial argument. It served him well, as their parents both conceded regretfully to it. Ginny felt even more alone on the way to the train, as it was only she and Hermione returning. It still was more than she felt she could bear.

A loud fluttering of wings filled her ears, her head jerking up in time to see the swarm of owls descending into the Hall. Parents eager to hear of goings-on and even more eager to hear of the state of their children had been writing relentlessly. Ginny felt her stomach clench uneasily as a small gray owl appeared above them, dropping the to table unevenly and hooting with glee.

"Pig!" Hermione breathed, pulling the small owl from Ginny's plate and removing a scroll of parchment. "It's not very long . . ."

Ginny tried to lean in and read, but Hermione pulled it away, as if trying to protect her from any upsetting content. Ginny thought momentarily that this might be from embarrassment on Hermione's part, but she knew better. There was something in there that Hermione was scared to show her. Answers, Ginny thought greedily.

Neville was now reading a rather long letter from his grandmother, his mouth moving to form the words as he progressed. Ginny idly glanced at it, catching a few snippets of good news, a few of bad. She turned back instead to Hermione, very eager to hear what lie within Ron's letter.

"Well," Hermione began uncertainly, "it wasn't very long at all . . . but it was very informative."

Ginny looked at her with expectant eyes. "Has there been word? Did he say anything about Harry?"

The look of uneasiness that Ginny had seen her wear so often lately returned to Hermione's face. She bit her lip and looked at Ginny appraisingly, as if trying to see her emotional stability by examining the state of her physical being. Slowly, she handed Ginny the parchment, inhaling deeply as it was received.

_**Hermione**, _

_Harry's sent me something. I'm going to be coming for you in a day, Mum and Dad's orders, as well as Ginny. Apparently, from what I can understand of Harry's nonsense, he's headed for Grimmauld Place. He says that he's found out something important and that he needs you and I there as soon as possible. Mom doesn't think Gin's safe there anymore, and she wants her home. I have to end now, but I want to tell you that nothing bad has happened, I know how you worry. I'm fine, and so are the rest of us. I'll see you soon, so you had better be ready. McGonagall's already been told. Tell Ginny I said hello, and that we'll be there._

**_Ron_**

Ginny felt her fears ease. Harry was alright. Harry was fine. All of the anxiety and hopelessness she had been filled with seemed to seep out, and she was left feeling lighter than she had in months. Hermione was still wearing her worried look, and Ginny quickly soothed her by smiling brightly.

"This is the best news I think I have ever received."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and smiled weakly. "You're not upset about leaving?"

"Heavens no! Being here is harder than I ever thought it would be. You know that I can't stand it any more." Ginny looked up at the staff table, then quickly back.

Dumbledore's spot remained empty, as no teacher felt comfortable occupying it. The rest of the staff looked emaciated and forlorn, though McGonagall stood as a veritable beacon of strength and determination.

Ginny was glad that she was soon to be rid of the school. Though McGonagall was a great leader and was expected to be just as qualified as the late Headmaster, it didn't feel the same. The difference was by far too immense for her to be able to ignore. For now, she would end her education. She hoped that perhaps later she could make up for it, though she wasn't even sure if she would be able to after this year. The fate of the school was not predetermined. Anything could happen.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_: **Homecoming**

* * *

As soon as they arrived, Ginny had been bustled into the house and sat forcibly down on the couch. Hermione followed Ron upstairs, and the twins had came down behind them. Their mother, Mrs. Weasley, brought out large mugs full of hot chocolate for all as they sat around Ginny.

Her dad and mother were across from her, both with somber looks on their faces. The twins had settled in on either side of her, as if to head her off in case she tried to bolt for the door. Bill and Fleur were standing together near the kitchen door, as if blocking another exit. Ginny eyed them all with a curious, but very agitated, look.

The wireless crooned softly in the background, as if to soothe the situation. Her mother began to fumble over her words slowly, avoiding looking Ginny completely in the eye.

"I know that you want to be a help to us," She began, old eyes revealing the tired soul beneath, "and I know you are capable of it. Despite all of this, I think that . . . well, your father and I think that it would be best if you stayed here this year with us."

As if they were all waiting for her to scream in protest, to run out of the room in tears of rebellion and defiance, they all seemed to recoil as they waited for her reaction. Ginny had looked around at them, her face completely devoid of the anger they had been expecting.

"Sure, that's fine."

Fred looked at her questioningly. "You don't care at all?"

"Not even one bit?" George added, the note of awe in his voice much more noticeable than he had meant for it to be.

Ginny looked round at them again, this time looking slightly annoyed. "Why do you think I'd want to be there? It's not the same anymore. And besides, I know that Mum's right. I'd much rather be here with you."

They seemed satisfied, and she could see and hear the room calming. Bill and Fleur went into the kitchen, both of them acting as if they were nothing that interesting happening anyway and that they had better things to do. The twins still sat on either side of her. Their faces were grave and calm, as if they just remembered another little thing that needed to be taken care of.

"So, dad . . . are you going to tell her about the trip?" George asked, looking hopefully at their worn father.

Ginny's ambivalence evaporated. "Trip? Are we going somewhere?"

"Well . . . not all of us."

Her hopeful smile vanished, and the anger they had been waiting for settled into her voice. "What do you mean by that?"

"Dear," her mother chimed in gently, "it's not something we think you should be exposed to. Not yet. Your father and I, and Bill of course, are going on a sort of mission for the Order."

Fred and George scooted in closer to Ginny, as if making she sure she'd have to stay and hear the whole story. Their father picked up from this spot before Ginny could interject.

"Now, don't act offended. Fred and George will be staying here also. Actually, we're having them keep guard over the house."

The twins smiled nervously. Ginny knew what he meant by keeping guard over the house. That was just an easier way of saying, _we don't trust you at all, darling daughter._ Her brown eyes were ablaze.

"What do I need them here for? I can handle myself, Dad." Her teeth were clenched.

"Don't be that way, Gin!" George said desperately, "Do you think we're really enjoying having to close up shop to watch the Burrow? It's not hard on you, granted, but it's not any easier on the rest of us."

Ginny glared at him, "Oh, damn you and your shop." She turned back to her parents, trying to calm herself a bit. "Why don't you want me to go? What are you doing? Where are you going?"

Fred scoffed. "They won't even tell us. Why the hell do you suppose they'd want to let you in on their plans?"

He barely had time to duck as Ginny swung her fist to give him a nice knock on the head. Mrs. Weasley stood up, her face blanching.

"Now, that is enough you two." She drew in a deep breath before turning strict and stern. "You'll just have to learn to get along. Ron and Hermione will be here too, Ginny. We'll only be gone for a month---"

"A month!" Ginny shrieked incredulously. "You're leaving me here for an entire month?"

Her father, who had sat still until this point, looked at her calmly. The sympathy in his voice had a slight calming effect on her. "It's not nearly as long as you think. We'll be fine, and you'll be fine. You have three older brothers here, along with Hermione who can more than handle herself." He stiffened as Ginny began to bristle. "Yes, I know you can curse your little heart out too, dear. That's not what I'm saying . . . I just need you to be calm about this. We can't be worrying about all of you while we're out there. Just tell me that you'll try to behave."

Ginny looked at the floor, swinging her feet slowly. "I'll behave, Dad."

That very night, after a full and hearty meal, they set off, Ginny standing morosely in the doorway to see them off. Ron and Hermione sat at the table with the twins, all of them talking in hushed whispers. Ginny walked gloomily inside to see Ron and Hermione stand up resolutely.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning, with or without your say so," Hermione said, looking at the twins with a fiery, but still slightly cool and collected, expression.

Ginny looked between the four, her body hid within slight shadows, hoping to get an explanation without asking any immediate questions.

It was Ron who spoke first. "Harry needs us more than you do. We can handle ourselves fine. Besides, we can Apparate now."

George sighed, "Look, we just don't want you two to get into any trouble. Any number of things could happen."

"Besides," Fred said, "who would get blamed if you went and got yourselves killed, eh? You think that Mum'd stand over your dead body shouting! She'd come after us. Do you really think we're crazy enough to just let you two gallivant around the country?"

"It's not your problem, Fred." Hermione's face was turning red.

Ginny moved into the light and cleared her throat. Ron spun around and threw his arms in the air.

"God, not you too!"

She took this as an insult. "Just what on Earth is going on here?"

Hermione gave her a gentle look, "It's nothing, Ginny. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, it seems as if I should worry about it."

Ron looked at the twins, "Now you've gone and gotten _her_ in on it. You know she's worse than Mum! We'll be here until next week at this rate!"

"Maybe if you'd learn to keep your big mouth shut and not yell across the kitchen she wouldn't have known! And you _will_ be here next week, because you're not going _anywhere_!"

Ginny had enough. "Would you two just stop arguing for two damn minutes!"

Everyone was silent. They all looked at Ginny, each face conveying a varying degree of annoyance. She knew what they were thinking, and she didn't care. As much as she disliked sounding like the mother of the group, she still couldn't stand listening to any more of their pointless bickering.

"Now that I've gotten you to calm down a bit," Ginny said with the air one takes when talking to children, "tell me . . . what exactly is going on?"

Ron looked at Hermione, as if willing her to talk first. She glared at him, but still obliged. "We're going to see Harry tomorrow."

"No, they're not." George glared at them defiantly, though he made no move to stand. Fred nodded in agreement.

"Stop that," Ginny snapped impatiently. "Why doesn't Harry just come here?"

Ron open his mouth in protest, but Hermione stopped him. "He doesn't want to risk being seen coming to the Burrow. He doesn't want any trouble for you—er . . . that is to say, any trouble for your family."

On the inside Ginny was beaming. She did her best to remain calm on the surface, though she caught a glimpse of smug satisfaction in Ron's smile.

"I still don't think you two need to run off and find him. Any number of things could happen to you." Fred tried his best to sound understanding, and not pushy.

Ginny couldn't help but disagree. "If they Apparate, it's fairly instantaneous, isn't it? I mean, the only risk they run is being noticed by Muggles."

Hermione smiled at her appreciatively. Ron looked at the twins in triumph. "Told you she'd be on our side."

The twins shook their heads tiredly. "Look, you don't understand. Under normalcircumstances, we'd be all for you two running off to aid Harry. This is different! Can't you see how dangerous it is? Are we not allowed to be worried about your well-being."

"It's not so much that you aren't allowed, but more that it's highly unlikely," Ginny stated in a very convincing manner.

"It's not as if we'll be gone long. We're only going to meet him, then we'll be back within days. He just wants to show us something, then he needs us back here to do research and other sorts of things for him."

Ginny could see the twins relenting. Hermione was ever the voice of reason. Ron looked at her lovingly. George sighed, calling in defeat.

The next day the two of them left. Ginny now sat remorsefully at the breakfast table, realizing just how lonely the next few days were going to feel to her. The twins were company, but they weren't like Hermione or Harry. No confiding girly secrets or receiving exciting news . . . just brotherly companionship. She let her head fall onto the table.

She had hoped beyond all hope that they might have invited her to come with them to see Harry. She should have known better. Ron, Hermione, and he were always together. They always confided in each other, and each other alone. The precious time Ginny spent with Harry alone was far and few between when it was available, and now she didn't have him at all. His excuse was just as silly and as stubborn as she knew it would be, and she had seen it coming . . . but it still made her want to weep every time she thought about what could have been.

Of course, she always told herself, there was nothing that was stopping them from having a relationship in the future. They didn't end what they had under normal circumstances. It was not the result of a lover's spat, or a snuffed flame. It was his nobility that had ended them. His stupid, insanely attractive, and utterly heartbreaking nobility.

Fred got up from the table and took their dishes away. Ginny kept her head down, but peeked out from under her hair as George rose also. They headed off in separate directions, leaving her alone in the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_: **Assault**

* * *

"You may know him."

Ginny sat in front of the fire, talking to Hermione's head. The bushy brown hair was settled in the fireplace, filling Ginny in on a few things. She and Ron had already been gone for three days, and the twins were getting antsy.

"How would _I_ know him, Hermione?"

"Well, you have all of those old genealogy books still, the ones you got from your grandmother, right?"

Ginny bit her lip in thought. "I think they're in Percy's old room. Goodness . . . I haven't touched them in ages."

"It's worth a shot." Hermione turned her head, looking into the fire. She shook her head and turned back to Ginny. "Harry did want to say hello, but he and Ron are a bit preoccupied in the search at this moment."

The search Hermione was referring to was something Ginny wasn't entirely knowledgeable of. No one wanted to disclose the full story to her, and she wasn't that bitter about it. The thought of Harry wanting to see her was enough to soothe any of her tempers.

"Well, he can come and talk _any_ time he'd like. I don't mind." Her words came out much more hopeful than she had meant. Hermione smiled knowingly.

"It's about time for me to go. Tell the twins not to worry so much. We'll be back in two days, it's all set. It's proving to be a bigger problem than we thought, with the search and all, but Harry's said that he can't keep us any longer than that." She sighed. "I'll talk to you then, Ginny. If you need anything, just come calling. But make sure it's only for an emergency, we don't want any major distractions right now."

Ginny nodded dutifully, sighing sadly as Hermione's head whipped back into the fire, which flickered out. The twins came into the room, George looking upset. Ginny stood quickly, eyeing them curiously.

"What's wrong?"

Fred shifted a bit, then looked at her seriously. "George and I have to go to the shop for a bit tonight. Our assistant just sent an owl."

Ginny was still confused. "You're just leaving? Why can't Verity handle it?"

George exchanged a dark look with Fred. "That's the problem, Verity's been injured. It wasn't her who sent the owl. It was Jackson. He's already left to take her to St. Mungo's. We have to get over there to take care of a few things."

She looked shocked, "And you're just going to leave me here alone?"

"Fleur's still here!" Fred said indignantly. "She's perfectly capable of watching the house, I would think. And besides, Lupin will be stopping by tonight to drop off a few things for Mum and Dad."

Ginny didn't agree. "Well, you have better be back soon. I don't know how I'll survive alone with Fleur . . ."

George patted her on the shoulder, "She's not all that bad. You just be good and stay out of sight. I doubt she'll even notice you."

That night, after they departed, Ginny realized how wrong they were. Fleur and she sat in the livingroom listening to a loud industrial song on the Wireless, Fleur tapping her foot and slightly head banging in time with the music. The volume had been at full blast for nearly two hours. Ginny wasn't sure how much more of it she could handle.

"This eez my fav'reet part!" Fleur shouted over the music, standing up and spinning as the song climaxed. The man's shrill voice issued as loudly as possible through the room, so loud in fact that Ginny clasped her hands desperately over her ears. She would have given anything to be listening to Celestina Warbeck

She reached over and turned down the volume, receiving a glare from Fleur as she did so. Ginny stood and went to go upstairs, but stopped when she heard a loud bang come from the garden. She spun around, Fleur looking at her terrified. There was another bang, then a loud shout.

"_C'est impossible!_" Fleur exclaimed.

"Shh!" Ginny hissed, walking as lightly as possible to the window.

Gently, she drew the curtains back, peering into the darkness. A light glimmered faintly in the middle of the garden, illuminating the rows of vegetables. Another light appeared next to it, shaking. _Wands_, Ginny thought, frightened, _they're wands!_ Fleur appeared beside her, squinting at the garden. Ginny noticed that she had her wand drawn.

"Look, you 'ave to 'ide! Zey are coming!" Fleur whispered, her large eyes wide. She looked absolutely terrified.

"It could be Fred and George," Ginny whispered back, though she didn't believe that herself.

Fleur shook her head, "Eet doesn't matter! I won't take that chance! 'urry! Get upstairs!"

Ginny obeyed, bolting up the stairs. She ran into her room and grabbed her wand from her bed stand. Hiding seemed ridiculous at this point, but she slid under the bed nonetheless. She heard Fleur shuffling around downstairs, possibly attempting to lock the doors and windows. Ginny regretfully remembered leaving her own window open the night before. At this point, it could very well be the only way into the house.

The stairs creaked, and Ginny heard Fleur's harsh breaths as she walked to Ginny's door. There was another loud bang from outside, though this time it was much closer. Who ever was trying to come in sure didn't seem to worry about being quiet.

"Ginny?" She heard Fleur call uncertainly. Ginny could see her bare feet in the doorway.

"Under the bed," Ginny said as quietly as possible, not sure if Fleur even heard her.

Downstairs, Ginny heard the door blast open. The house shook. Fleur issued a soft scream. Ginny groaned inwardly, that had surely given them away. She heard Fleur run out of the room, obviously trying to attract attention away from there.

She could hear voices, though not clear. They were ascending the steps swiftly, still not trying to mask or quiet their movements. Ginny drew in a deep breath, pulling her feet up near to her chest and positioning her wand so that it pointed at the door. She watched as one pair of feet paused in the entrance. The feet were large, adorned with black boots covered in chains. Another pair of feet appeared next to them, much smaller than the first, and wearing sleek black tennis shoes.

Her heart beat fast as they entered, the smaller pair of feet stopping just in front of her wardrobe. "This is it, definitely her room."

The voice was cool, that of a teenager's. It sounded vaguely familiar to her, though at this time she was too distracted to make any sort of an assumption. He moved a little closer to the bed, but paused at the bed stand.

"Come have a look at this," The voice said to his companion, who walked to join him. They both laughed. "Looks like I was right, she is in contact with Potter."

Ginny felt her face get hot. They must be reading the letter Harry had sent to her at the beginning of the summer. She cursed herself for leaving it out in the open. The two voices stopped laughing, and the feet were now facing each other. The teen's trainer was so close to Ginny that she could have untied his shoelaces.

A shriek issued from the back of the house. Ginny froze. It was Fleur, drawing attention to herself. Tears formed in Ginny's eyes as the two feet went running out of the room. There was no telling what they would do to her. Ginny lay there, completely powerless. She was stuck, trapped. Her mind formed incomplete images of two hooded figures closing in on Fleur, torturing her, even killing her.

One of the men yelled, Ginny heard Fleur scream again. The house shook as a loud eruption of sound boomed through. Footsteps shuffled, as if they were struggling with something. Ginny let out a low sob, her eyes watering. The lights in the house went out, and she was left in even more darkness than she had been before. She caught the sound of more footfalls, this time running back down the hall to her room. Fleur's voice came loudly from the doorway.

"She eez not 'ere!"

The teen's voice came, full of rage, "Stop lying! Just tell us where she is and you can go free."

"_She's not 'ere_!" Fleur sobbed.

The two closed around Fleur, pulling her into the room roughly. Ginny could hear rough grunts of exertion as they struggled with Fleur's flailing form. They stood, their positions implying that the larger of the two had Fleur's arms pinned behind her back. The teen was pacing around the room. In shock, Ginny realized what was happening.

The black trainers stood in front of her wardrobe, tapping impatiently. A soft rapping sound issued through the room, and Fleur sobbed louder.

"Not here?" The youth asked, still rapping gently on the wardrobe. He took Fleur's silence as a means to press on.

Swiftly, the wardrobe was flung open. Ginny watched wide-eyed as a couple of shoes toppled out on the wooden floor. The teen swore loudly, the moved on. He now moved to the bed. Fleur's breathing began harsh, as if she couldn't contain her anxiety. Ginny pressed her eyes together and clamped a shaking hand firmly over her mouth.

"I doubt she'd be stupid enough to hide here . . ." The boy said, kicking his foot underneath the bed. Ginny shrank back as his toes grazed her arm. "I do believe I may have found something of interest under here . . ."

Fleur started to yell in protest, but was cut off by the sound of crashing dishes downstairs. Everyone in the room froze. Silence filled the house, until a hesitant voice called up the stairs.

"Hello? Where is everyone?"

Ginny's heart gave a jolt of hope. _Lupin._


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_: **Intimidation**

* * *

The two intruders turned to the doorway. Ginny could hear Fleur's now muffled cries. She was half tempted to streak out from under the bed and make a run for the stairs, but she would never make it. The boy walked over to the other two, his steps as quiet as the wind.

"Take her to the last room on this hall. Don't make a sound."

Bringing her shaking hand from her mouth, Ginny pulled her wand up to her chest and silently slid her feet until her legs were straight. The teen walked swiftly to stand behind the door.

"Is anyone here?" Came Lupin's voice again, coming up from the end of the steps. He made his way up. "Ginny? Fleur?"

He came into view in the doorway, Ginny blessing his shabby shoes. Lupin poked inside of the room cautiously, his robes grazing the floor as he stopped and looked around. The boy's feet were coming up steadily behind him, and Ginny had wished Lupin had been a little stealthier.

"So you've come to join in on the fun, Professor?" Came the cold voice. Lupin spun around to face him.

The lights in the house came back on suddenly. Lupin staggered backward a little bit, distancing himself from the teen. "What are you doing here?"

The cold voice laughed. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that, sir. I only wish I had asked that question first."

"Who are you here for? Who sent you?"

The teen stepped closer, still laughing. "I'm quite sure you'd love to know, too bad I'm not obliged to say."

Before anyone could move, a blast of light filled the room. Ginny shrank back further as Lupin was tossed to the ground. Her breathing was so loud that she was surprised the other two occupants of the room hadn't noticed. Her heart beat fast as she looked into Lupin's eyes. He lay on the ground, staring at her in confusion. She shook her head firmly, trying to will him to stand.

"What? What's wrong with you? I would have thought this was going to be harder." The boy laughed louder. "Get up, old man."

Lupin sent Ginny one last glance before raising himself shakily from the ground. "If you're going to send me a cheap shot, don't complain that I'm not fighting to par."

Another light filled the room, this time met by a loud gong-like sound. Lupin must have blocked a rather detrimental curse. Another light and hit came, this time the boy swore out of anger.

"Fight back, Lupin!"

Lupin laughed softly, "Must I?"

Another hit and miss came, but this time Lupin sent back a rather quick curse. The boy was sent into the wardrobe, which closed around him. Lupin muttered a few words and Ginny heard the closet lock itself. The boy was pounding hard on the doors, yelling and cursing.

"Ginny, come out." Lupin said softly, knowing very well that whoever was locked in her wardrobe couldn't hear them over his own noise.

Wobbly, she slid out from the bed, her wand still clenched tightly within her fists. Lupin pulled her into a fatherly hug, smoothing her hair a bit.

"Where's Fleur gone to?"

Ginny gestured to the back of the house, "I think someone's back there with her."

Lupin sighed, "I'd thought so . . . Look, we don't have much time. The curse on that wardrobe won't hold very long. I need you to get out of this house and to the garden. Tonks will be here shortly. I sent word when I saw the doors had been damaged."

She nodded, thankful for his calm. The door rattled harder, more obscenities issuing from the occupant's mouth. Ginny breathed in deeply and ran out of the room and down the stairs. The house was in serious disarray, the door lay on the floor a few feet from its frame, the window smashed and broken. Ginny stepped gingerly around it, then ran full speed out and into the cool night.

The stars lit the garden, the waxing moon illuminating all that it could. Ginny sprinted into the tall weeds which had taken over due to Mrs. Weasley's absence. Kneeling as low as she could, she hid herself from view. The light in her room flickered out, and she heard a loud scream. Ginny pressed her hands over her ears in desperation, hoping that Tonks would come soon.

Thoughts filled her mind as she knelt among the weeds and brambles. Why did that boy want her? He had said something about her being in contact with Harry . . . that was probably it. If only he knew she hadn't seen from Harry since then, maybe he wouldn't have bothered coming here. What did he want _from_ her? She could very well lead him to Harry, but she would never be able to tell anyone where exactly he was. How did anyone find out how close she and he had been? It had to be someone from school.

That cold voice filled her mind. She had heard it before, she knew. Quite a few times in fact. It was so obvious to her, but she couldn't place it. That dark and mirthless laugh rang loudly in her head. It was driving her crazy. She knew him. Why couldn't she remember his face? Or even his name? Regretfully, she cursed not having asked Lupin before leaving. He knew who it was. Fortunately, he didn't seem that threatened, at least not by the teen.

Cautiously, Ginny peered at the house. The darkness around the door seemed to give way to another shadow, but it was impossible for her to tell. Upstairs, the lights were still off. No more screams filled the air, but she knew something was wrong.

Suddenly, out of the darkness behind her, she heard a cough. Ginny tried to turn to see who it was, but promptly fell on her back. The person moved through the garden swiftly, then stopped in front of her. Magenta robes billowed about the dark figure, their wand thrust in front of Ginny's frightened face.

"Tonks!" Ginny breathed, trying not to move too suddenly.

"Oh dear! Ginny!" Tonks moved her wand to her side, kneeling down to help Ginny up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that I came so fast and I'm so worried and everything's just so--"

"It's alright," Ginny cut in, knowing very well that Tonks could have kept in that thread for a good ten minutes. "Lupin's inside, but I don't know if he's still okay. I heard a scream from the back of the house, but I think that it might have come from Fleur."

"Who on Earth is in there?" Tonks inquired, both of them now standing and staring at the house.

"I don't know. Two people, one of them sounded quite young, but the other never really spoke."

Tonks nodded and began to go to the house. Ginny grabbed at her robes. "You can't just barge into there!"

The witch pushed Ginny off and proceeded to the Burrow. Ginny followed slowly, worried about what they might find inside. Granted, they were now ahead in numbers, but there was no telling who they were up against.

Tonks stepped into the house, knocking over a vase as she tried to side-step over the broken glass. Ginny rushed to grab it before it shattered, successfully catching the pot and placing it silently in its place. Tonks smiled sheepishly and made to go into the kitchen.

"No," Ginny hissed, "Upstairs!"

Tonks nodded and made for the steps, climbing them as fast as she could. Ginny hurried to keep up as she reached the landing. Urgently, she grabbed the back of Tonks robes, trying to keep her from passing into view of her room.

"They're in there, or . . . they were," Ginny uttered in a muffled whisper. She silently poked her head around the corner.

The room was empty, her wardrobe smashed open and sprawled sideways on the floor. Her robes and dresses lay scattered among the debris. In horror, she noted that the letter from Harry as well as her broom were missing. Tonks appeared next to her, looking at the room grimly.

"They'll be up further then."

Ginny walked into the room, not having the strength to follow Tonks, who had hurried further up the hall. The house was completely silent, and for all she knew, they could all be gone. She sat on her bed, pulling out her wand and pointing it at the door.

"Tonks, no!" Came a horrified yell from the end of the hall. A loud bang disturbed the silence, causing the house to shake once more.

Ginny jumped up. Her heart pounded in her ears as she walked slowly to the door. Shouts and calls came from the room at the end, Fleur's french curses filling the air. She heard Lupin grunt and a dull thud followed.

The hall was still, the source of the thud clearly evident in her mind. Ginny heard Tonks yell fiercely, then another series of curses bounced through the room. Ginny ran softly down to the end of the hall, her footsteps muffled by the vehement actions and harsh words from the room.

She looked to see a large man, his face revealed but no resemblance to her. Scraggly hair and harsh and twisted features of his face shocking her. Ginny looked to the teenager, whose face was covered. Her heart fell. He flicked his wand and caught Tonks in a Body-Bind curse, her stiff form falling to the floor alongside the unconscious Lupin. Fleur was cornered by the larger man, who had his wand pointed at her chest. His mouth formed a twisted smile as began to utter the words that would end Fleur's life.

Ginny rushed into the room without thinking, only knowing that her presence would postpone the murderer's vile actions. The teen's face spun to meet her. Her breath was ragged and she had her wand pointed at him.

"Finally," The boy sighed in mock relief, "I thought we'd have to tear this whole place apart just to find you, Ginny."

She could barely make out his pale features under his hood, but she still couldn't determine who it was. His tall frame would have been intimidating if not for his somewhat thin form. He moved forward slowly, raising his wand to point back at her.

"You will come with us."

Shaking her head defiantly, Ginny gestured to Fleur, "Let her go. _Now_."

The man standing over Fleur began to laugh, his toothless mouth disgusting and even more vile than Ginny could stand. She turned back to the boy.

"I'll let her go if you lower your wand." He said calmly.

Ginny glared at him, her chest rising and falling from her deep breaths. She slowly lowered her wand, though she kept it pointed at him the entire time. Finally, she pointed it to the floor and stood as tall as possible.

"Let her go." She repeated through clenched teeth.

"Very well."

Ginny watched as the larger man moved away from Fleur as slowly as possible. Suddenly, Ginny was knocked to the ground by the boy, apparently taken as the victim in her moment of distraction. Fleur made a move to hex the larger man, but was knocked to the ground by a swift and brutal punch in the face. Ginny grunted, trying to free herself, but it was no use.

The boy tapped Ginny with his wand, immobilizing her. He pulled back his hood and smirked at her fallen form. His companion laughed stupidly.

"I think it's time to take you out of this hostile environment, Ginny, dear."


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_: **Motives

* * *

**

Ginny awoke to voices and laughing, everything around her shrouded in black darkness. She tried to make out the people talking, those vicious laughs, but nothing was visible. She made to touch her face, but she found her hands and feet bound together by thick ropes. Putting two and two together, she realized that she must also be blindfolded.

"She's a firecracker, that one. I see why the _boy_ took such a liking to her."

Ginny turned her face in the direction of the man's voice. It was high and fast, nothing like the one she heard last night. She opened her eyes as wide as possible, hoping to see through the shroud covering her eyes. No such luck.

The boy's voice replied laughingly, "You should have seen her last night. I could hardly keep from being distracted by her audacity. She must have gotten a hero complex from all of that time she spent with Potter. Bursting into the room like some sort of warrior . . . it was nearly comical."

The room filled with more laughter, a woman's shrill cackle heard over all. She spoke next. "The girl must have a taste for the dramatic. She was crying and yelling all night long, even after I gave her that Sedating Draught."

"Well, well, well . . . I think she's coming to. You all can go. I can handle this on my own."

"Don't be silly, boy," Came the woman's voice again, "He wanted us to stay."

The teenager scoffed, "Believe me, I've more than proved myself now. You can go. Have no fear."

Ginny heard the groans of protest dim as an eruption of footsteps exited the room, a door banging shut firmly. She shrank back as something touched her face lightly. The veil was removed from her eyes and she looked up into the face of her captor.

Draco Malfoy stared down at her coldly, his slate gray eyes looking over her face with mild interest. He bent low, closer to her. Ginny was tempted to yell at him, but she found her voice weak and hoarse when she made a move to speak.

"None of that, Weasley." He said firmly, smirking at her. "I don't think it would be good for you to speak in harsh tones right now. I have some questions that I need you to answer."

Ginny stared at him in disbelief. What made him think she would tell him anything he wanted to know?

His eyes flitted over her face once more, then peered over her at the wall. "First of all, have you been in contact with Harry Potter recently."

"No," Ginny said, her voice in an involuntary whisper.

"You do realize that lying will only make this experience worse for you, correct?" He said, his voice displaying that famous Malfoy bite.

Ginny nodded. "I'm not lying."

"Fine then. Have it your way." He looked back at her and continued with his interrogation. "Do you know where he is hiding?"

"You know no subtlety, Malfoy," Ginny said calmly.

She laughed on the inside as he turned red. "Answer the question."

"No, I'm sorry, but I do believe that I have no clue as to where Harry is." Her voice was coming back, enabling her to further annoy Malfoy by turning coy. "Why on Earth would you want to know something like that?"

"You know why, Weasley. Don't play games with me." His jaw was clenched. She was getting to him.

"You're such a silly boy, Malfoy. Why not ask me something I can actually answer? Such as, for instance, my favorite color . . . or, _even_ better, my idea of the perfect date. Someone as smooth and witty as yourself should be a little more creative with his examinations."

Draco was seething. "I'm just going to pretend that you didn't say any of that. And you had better consider yourself lucky for my doing so."

Ginny giggled lightly, imitating the titter that his girlfriend Pansy Parkinson always faked. "Oh, I consider myself _very_ lucky."

Draco rolled his eyes and pressed on. "So, have you even seen him lately?"

Ginny's giggling stopped. She couldn't help it. Without him knowing it, his words stung her. "No," she said coldly, "I haven't seen him."

The cool tone of her voice seemed to spark an interest within him. He smirked at her, "I know that wasn't a lie. What's wrong then? Has Potter abandoned you?"

The stern expression she had been wearing was betrayed by a slight involuntary pout. Ginny looked to the floor, trying to avoid Draco's stare. Tears were threatening to appear in her brown eyes, but she wouldn't let that happen. Not in front of _him_.

This seemed to make Draco uncomfortable, for he abandoned his mockery. "Very well then, I think I'm done with you . . . for now."

She raised her head to stare at him. "No more? Is that all you've got?"

He simply smirked at her and raised his eyebrows. "What, would you prefer I continue?"

She shook her head without thinking, then looked back to the floor.

"I'll be back in later. For now, I don't think you'll need those bindings." He pulled his wand out of his robes, waving it idly at her restraints. The ropes unwound themselves and lay limply underneath her. "And if I were you, I wouldn't even try to leave. You'd be met with far more opposition than you could imagine."

He took solace in her helpless appearance as he turned and exited the room. The stone door slid back into its frame, then clicked and smoothed into the wall. Even if she had wanted to get out, she'd never be able to remember where it had been. Ginny sat up and crossed her legs, looking around at her surroundings.

She was in a large room, the bed she lay in large and soft. The sheets were green silk and satins, the pillows soft and feathery. She wondered why she was left in such comfort momentarily, but got over it. She wasn't about to complain.

The floors were cool marble, reflecting the dim lights. The walls were dark and stone, no windows or doors now. Along the far wall, the one Draco had disappeared into, were all sorts of portraits and paintings. They were all wizards and witches she had never heard of, nameless figures snoozing within their framed prison.

There was no bed stand, but there was a large black wardrobe in the corner. Next to it sat an elaborately decorated vanity, the wood was stained black to match the wardrobe and trimmed with green. Ginny stood and crossed the room, looking into the mirror. Her bright red hair seemed dull and scraggly now, dirt streaked on her pale face. Her brown eyes stared back at her, lifeless. She felt so drained, though not in a physical way.

As much as she wanted to keep from blaming him, Ginny couldn't help it. It was Harry's fault she was here. Maybe if he had invited her to come with Ron and Hermione she wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe if he had come and seen her . . . if he had spent more time with her, she wouldn't be so quick to want to hate him for the situation she was in.

Although, as easy as it was for her to blame him, it was just as easy to blame others. Fred and George left her there alone with Fleur. As capable of a witch they may have thought her, Ginny knew that Fleur was the last person that should have been left in charge of the house. If she hadn't been restricted by the Ministry with her magic, Ginny might have been able to act faster. So many possibilities, so many people to blame . . .

Ginny reached into a drawer of the vanity, shuffling through the various contents. She found a silver and gold adorned brush. It's bristles were softer than anything she had ever felt. She ran it through her hair slowly, then admired the effect in the mirror. It was enchanted, she supposed. The formerly stringy and dingy red hair was now luminous and soft to the touch. Ginny set the brush back into the drawer, looking for something to clean her face with.

Shaking her head, Ginny closed the drawers and turned to look further around the room. She wondered vaguely where exactly she was, but knew that she wouldn't care once she knew. She felt a little uneasy by her own calm in the situation, though she knew that it was only because of how much she had already been through.

She looked down at her torn and tattered jacket. She pulled it off and tossed it to the ground, drifting to the wardrobe. Ginny pulled open the large wooden doors, looking in wonder at the clothing within. She reached out and touched the velvety material of a dress, one of many, then reached for a set of black dress robes. She took them out and walked to the bed, setting them down and removing her own clothes. She slipped into the soft fabric, clasping the front.

If she listened hard enough, she could hear talking somewhere in the distance, which she supposed were people guarding the room. Ginny crossed to the wall with the portraits, looking into the frames. One witch nestled next to an older wizard, both sleeping peacefully. The painting next to it depicted a bloody battle, though all of the soldiers were fast asleep, awaiting the next day. Ginny moved on to a stately witch in her portrait, her long shining black hair curled about her harsh, but captivating, features.

The inscription below it read, '_to my dearest daughter, the black rose of the Black clan_, _Bellatrix Lestrange._'

Ginny stepped back from the picture, looking around the room. So it was Bellatrix Lestrange's room that she was in. Judging by it's clean and tidy appearance, she supposed that it had been a long time since anyone occupied it. Taking solace in the fact that Bellatrix had not stepped foot within the room for quite some time, Ginny went back to the bed. She pulled the blankets back further and slid in, her head screaming for sleep. In minutes, she was fast asleep, her last thoughts lost within her dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_: **Ennui

* * *

**

Ginny lay in the bed, the silver tray placed before her providing the only nourishment that had been available to her in two days. She ate slowly, not wanting her empty stomach to reject the food. Draco sat in a chair next to the bed, tapping his foot impatiently. It had been two days already, and Ginny knew that he was beginning to get more than a little angry at her inability, or objection, to answer any of his questions.

"One last time, then I'm through for today."

Ginny nodded, taking a sip from her goblet, "Ask away, ask away . . ."

Draco glared at her. "Alright . . . First of all, where is Harry Potter at?"

After chewing a piece of toast, Ginny smiled at him. "I don't know."

"Fine," He said, his eyes flashing violently, "have you had any further contact with him since the letter we confiscated from your room?"

"Oh! Yes, indeed I have. You know, loads and _loads_ of owls have been pouring in here all hours of the day. I've gotten quite a few letters from Harry!" Ginny smirked at him.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Draco said, obviously working hard not to yell at her. "This is my last question, and your last chance to get out of here for today."

She looked at him sternly, "Fire away."

He ignored her defiance, "Do you have any idea of his plans?"

"What plans?" Ginny asked seriously. "That's a new one."

"We have very large suspicions that he is planning something large. Do you know of anything he could be doing?"

Ginny shook her head, "No. I really don't."

Draco sighed and stood. "I guess that's enough. I'll be back tomorrow."

He started to leave for the door, but Ginny stopped him. "Wait, Malfoy."

"What?"

She looked at her plate. "Why did you take _me_?"

Draco stared at her. "I would have thought that might be a little more than obvious to you."

"Well, in a way, I suppose it is . . . The only thing I don't understand is why you didn't find someone else."

"I didn't plan this, Weasley. I don't know why he chose you when he could have gotten Granger or that brother of yours. I think that he supposed it would be easiest to break you." Draco wasn't looking at her.

Ginny was offended, "And who is this that seems to think of me as weak? Do _you_ think I'm weak?"

Ginny stared at him as he looked past her once more and at the wall. "Weasley, until you answer my questions, I don't think it would be fair for me to answer yours."

With that, he turned to the door and exited. Ginny caught a glimpse of a small group of wizards, all of them looking in at her attentively. Draco slammed the door shut. It disappeared into the stone wall once more.

* * *

The next few days passed slowly. Ginny would sit in her comfortable prison for hours on end, no contact with anyone. After what seemed like an eternity, Draco would enter and lead her to another chamber, where she would bathe. He would wait outside the door with three larger guards, all hooded and silent, until she emerged clean and crisp. Then he would walk her back to the chamber, where food would await her. Finally, after she polished off the meager meal, he would turn to his questions. 

It seemed so routine, yet every day Ginny hoped that something would enable her to escape. In the short walk to the bath she would look for familiar objects, but the surrounding seemed to change each day. Draco held her arm to prevent her from trying to run, and she wouldn't dare attempt to challenge four wizards without her wand. She was tough, but she wasn't that tough.

Her fears and anxiety vanished, the questions gnawing at her nerves more and more. Even Draco seemed to tire of it, as he wouldn't challenge her jokes or coy attitude anymore. Sometimes, Ginny would contemplate giving him all of the answers he wanted, just so she could go home. She was tired of sitting for hours, no human contact, no laughter, no hope. Tired of seeing Draco's empty and unfriendly face day after day, and even more tired of his snappy behavior.

She knew she could make his questions a little more tolerable if only she'd stop trying to make him angry. She knew that if she simply said yes or no to them that he might be a little more amicable. Even though these things were so glaringly obvious to her, she felt like she'd be betraying herself if she chose to make it less of a chore for him. Even more so, she felt like she'd be betraying Harry, as silly as it seemed.

The fifth day came and Draco entered once more into the room, his blonde hair falling in front of his face the same way it had the day before and the days predating that. Ginny could see that this was going to be a bad day. A small sliver of blood was leaking out the left corner of his mouth. His face was grim and his eyes were on her.

He came up beside her bed, Ginny making a move to stand. He stopped her by putting his hand up in the air. She paused, eyeing him curiously.

"I won't be here very long, and neither will you. We're moving you to another room."

Ginny was shocked. "Why?"

He looked at her for a moment, then decided that he could go on. "Well, it seems my aunt doesn't like you in here . . . not that I can blame her of course."

"Is that what happened to your lip?" Ginny asked delicately, not asking the question to tease, but simply to gather more information.

"Yes," He touched his lip gently, then winced, "For such a small woman, she sure can throw a punch."

Ginny pushed the blankets back and sat up to face him. "So, am I leaving now?"

He nodded, "We'll have to blindfold you, but you're not going very far."

He stepped back from the bed, allowing her to climb out and stand next to him. His gray eyes looked her over momentarily, then flitted back to the door. He pulled out a long black handkerchief, then gestured for her to turn around. Ginny faced the bed, stiffening as he tied the blindfold around her eyes. His hands were cold as they grazed her face.

"Now," He took her arm with his hand, the cool touch causing her to shiver, "we'll be going."

She walked blindly, Draco leading her out of the room. She heard the door slide shut and the sound of people moving around them. The hall must have been filled with people, she couldn't make one move without hitting someone. She heard little pieces of conversations and laughs from beside her, then it became silent. Another door slid open, and Ginny was immediately shocked by the warmth inside.

"Alright, here we are." Draco turned her around, removing the handkerchief and letting her adjust to the light of the room.

This room was a little smaller, though exceptionally warmer. There was a wardrobe in here also, though it wasn't in as good condition as the one in Bellatrix's room, and there was no vanity. To Ginny's delight, although, there was a bathroom. She looked at Draco for further instruction.

"Okay, this room is a guest room, so you won't have to worry about being kicked out or anything. I'm not sure why my great-uncle didn't think to put you in here first, but no matter. The bath is in that room. I'll be bringing in some things for you to wear later." He made a move to leave.

"Wait. You're not questioning me today?" She had to admit that she was a little disappointed.

"No," he didn't turn around, "I'm taking a break for today. I don't really feel up to it, if you don't mind."

Ginny watched as he left, the door smoothing into the wall as it had in the other chamber. She walked to the black and white sheeted canopy bed, smoothing the bedclothes. The walls were bare, no windows or anything. Listlessly, Ginny lay back and stared at the inside of the canopy. The curtains were drawn and tied to the posts of the bed, thin but darkly tinted black. She slid out of the bed and went into the bathroom, looking around.

The tub was large and silver, the taps shining. The mirror above the sink reflected her tired image silently, causing her to turn away. She sat down on the lid of the silver toilet, looking at her nails absently. She had been wanting so badly to be out of that room, but now that she was in another, she was starting to miss it. She thought wistfully about not having to be escorted to the bath every day. She didn't miss that at all.

Ginny reached over and turned the tap, hot water pouring into the tub. She waited a minute before turning the other, bringing the temperature from scalding down to warm. She took off her clothes and slipped into the water, laying her head against the back and closing her eyes. It was nice not to have to take a five minute shower, being heckled for taking too long. She leaned up and turned the taps off, the flow of the water ceasing.

As she lay in the soothing water, she reflected a bit more. Draco had stopped asking her about seeing Harry. It seemed odd to her at first, but she realized that her emotions had come out more than she had meant for them to. He had picked up on her bitter sadness and stopped talking about it. She had thought that he would instead heckle her, making her feel worse about it. Alternatively, he had decided it was a lost cause, or so he tried to lead her to believe. Perhaps Draco simply felt uncomfortable talking about it now, since he saw the detrimental effect it had on her. Either way, she couldn't help but feel grateful.

The last time she had seen Harry had not been a happy one. He had come by the Burrow to speak with Ron and stop in for Fleur and Bill's wedding. The guests had been ushered in, several interesting characters were seated in Fleur's section, her mother and father fussing about with every little thing. Mrs. Weasley couldn't be around them for more than two minutes at a time.

After the processions, and after little Gabrielle succeeded in covering everyone in the aisle seats with flower petals, Fleur was brought down. Her father had a hard time giving her away, as it seemed he wasn't ready to lose his oldest daughter. After a short and stern glare war between he and Fleur, she was handed over to a grinning Bill.

The rest of the ceremony proceeded nicely, giving way to a rather upsetting reception. After being passed around several of Fleur's french cousins, Ginny finally got to dance with Harry. His dancing was not very good, but Ginny did not mind one bit. The closeness and the warmth from him was enough to keep her from noticing the many mistakes and foot-trampling.

Half-way into the song, Harry had looked down at her, his face cold and stern, telling her that he had to go. He went to Ron and Hermione, hugging and shaking hands with the families, then was gone. Ginny had bemoaned the lack of a proper goodbye every night since then, and not even Hermione could help her to feel any better about it.

Now she lay in the tub, tears falling into the water. She wiped her face with wet hands, only making the tears pour out faster. She hated herself for taking it so personally. She was stronger than that. It was so unlike her to be that phased by something. Stemming the flow of her tears, blinked furiously and breathed in deeply. _No more crying_, she said to herself, _you're much better than that_.

Ginny was about to stand when she heard the stone door open. In horror, she realized that the bathroom door was wide open. She looked beyond the frame at the shocked face of Draco Malfoy, who immediately covered his eyes, the armful of clothes he had been carrying falling to the floor.

"Damn!" Ginny yelled, rushing out of the bath and slamming the door closed. She grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around her sopping form.

Ginny pulled the door open, tossing her wet hair over her shoulder and staring at Draco. He feebly uncovered his eyes and sighed out of relief.

"Sorry, I was just bringing you some clothes," He said quickly, then looked down at the fallen garments.

Ginny rolled her eyes and tapped her foot. "It's my fault, I shouldn't have left the door open like that."

Draco knelt down and picked up the clothes, then tossed them onto the bed. "You had better get dressed."

"I was planning on it." She went over to the bed and looked through the things. "These are all mine."

He nodded, "Yes, we went and got them last night."

"How'd you get them without being caught?" She asked, grabbing a shirt and jeans.

"It's none of your business. Anyway, you had better pick something a little more formal than that."

Ginny eyed him curiously, "Why?"

He smirked. "You'll be having dinner with a few of my friends tonight."


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_: **Judgement ****

* * *

**

Ginny continued to stare at Draco. "I don't understand. I've been here for days without any contact with anyone other than you, and now I'm being invited to a formal dinner?"

"It would seem that way." He smirked at her once more. "My great-uncle has invited a few people and wants you to come also. It's quite unfortunate for you that Bellatrix will also be attending."

"I'm quite sure I can handle myself." Ginny grabbed a set of green dress robes, believing that they would probably prove to be the most appropriate. She held them up for Draco to see.

"Those will do."

Ginny stood with her robes, glaring at Malfoy. "Well then, I think I would like to get dressed now, if you don't mind."

"No problem," He said, then turned to the door, and continued softly, "I also brought some things I thought you might like to have. I'll be waiting outside for you. Just tap on the wall."

Ginny looked back to the bed as he left, noticing several objects mixed in with her clothing. She bent down and picked up her red hairbrush, along with several books and magazines. She noticed her diary among the objects and turned red. It wasn't protected by any magical means, just a simple lock and key. She picked it up and turned the key, opening it up. There was a note inside, one that hadn't been there before.

She set down the diary, not sure if she wanted to read the letter just now. Silently, she pulled off her towel and stepped into the robes, enjoying the familiarity of her own clothing. She went back into the bathroom, carrying her brush, and brushed out her long red hair, pulling it up into a wet, but still elegant, bun. She smiled at her reflection nervously, then went back into the room.

She adjusted her robes a bit, then grabbed a pair ofshoes from the pile of things Draco had brought, slipping into them quickly. Ginny walked up uncertainly to the wall, tapping with her fist on the spot she had thought he had disappeared into. Within seconds, Draco opened a door three feet down the wall from her, smiling. Ginny rolled her eyes and walked to follow him.

"Wait, stop," he said, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing the blindfold once more. "This is a bit of a longer journey, and although I disagree, they think it's best if you wear this again."

Ginny turned around dutifully, allowing him to tie the cloth around her head. His cold hands lingered on her face a little longer than they had the first time, but left quickly, as if not to draw suspicion. She waited for him to take her arm, but was surprised when his frigid hand took her warm one. She felt a bit of a chill go through her, but ignored it as she followed him.

There were no conversations to overhear this time, nor any unseen figures to bump into. Ginny was barely even aware of anything but the sensation of Draco's hand pulling hers through the unknown. She walked with as much composure as she could manage without seeing her surroundings until finally they came to a stop. She felt Draco turn her around once more, untying the blindfold. Ginny blinked against the harsh lighting, then turned to face Draco. They were standing in front of a solid oak door, his hand on the handle. He looked her in the eyes.

"Just hold your tongue and nod politely," Draco said sternly. "Don't try to be cute. They'll eat you alive."

Ginny smiled at him faintly, "What makes you think I'd try to be cute?"

He rolled his eyes, "You're not off to a good start."

Ginny bit her lip and shook her head, "I'll be fine. I'm not stupid enough to do anything that'll get me into trouble."

Draco nodded with finality and turned back to the door, "Ready?"

"Of course." Ginny adjusted her robes once more and stood up as straight as possible.

Draco looked at her once more, then pulled on the handle of the door, opening it to reveal a rather long table. Three people sat there already, not even taking up half of the space. Ginny was ushered in by Draco, who sat her neatly next to a thin and gorgeous witch. He took the seat next to her. Ginny looked across the table, into the eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange. She sent Ginny a glare before turning to Draco.

"Draco, _child_, I'm quite glad to see that you've taken care of that lip." She grinned at him humorlessly.

He simply smiled back, turning now to the head of the table. The man was tall and large, his small eyes staring at Ginny. He wore deep blue robes and golden spectacles, his grey hair wavy and slicked to the side. He smiled at her greasily, eyeing her like a piece of meat. Ginny smiled back out of politeness. The way he was staring at her was making her very uncomfortable. She turned back to Draco.

"Alright, I believe that introductions are in order," The man at the head of the table said, finally turning away from Ginny. She recognized his high voice from the morning she woke in this place.

The first to say anything was the witch next to Ginny, whose voice was light and airy, her golden hair and great green eyes shining. "I'm Rebecca Beaumont, daughter by marriage."

She smiled up at the head of the table, who looked gravely back. "Yes, that was my third marriage . . . died tragically, you see." Ginny nodded politely. He smiled at her and laugh greatly, "It's alright now, as I'm single and unaccounted for."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and smiled malevolently, "I'm quite sure we've met before. Though in much more hostile conditions, as I'm sure you'll agree."

Ginny remembered Draco's words and held her tongue, only giving the smallest nod as a reply. Bellatrix sent her a dismissive smirk.Ginny stared at her for a moment, but was drawn away by loud throat clearing from the head of the table. She turned and smiled widely at him.

"I'm Augustin Black, owner of this fair house. I'm hoping you are finding it comfortable, Miss Weasley. I take some high pride in my home, if you cannot tell."

Ginny nodded dutifully, "Yes, it's quite comfortable."

Draco seemed toflare up at this turn in discussion. Ginny knew that he could get into trouble if she found out too much about her location. He looked at Augustin cautiously, a glare quite evident in his stare. Augustin nodded and turned back to Ginny.

"Quite nice. I'm sure you might be curious as to why I invited you here, as I would be in your situation." He waited for her to say something, looking at her expectantly. Ginny simply nodded, forcing him to elaborate. "Well, I have had this little dinner party planned for some time, as a treat to my dear stepdaughter Rebecca. I had to postpone it due to . . . well, I'm sure you'll know all about that . . ."

Draco was staring at his plate, looking very sour. Ginny supposed that Augustin was using this dinner entirely as an excuse to talk to her, not as a happy party for Rebecca. Ginny resisted the urge to smile at Draco, knowing that her gesture could be severely misinterpreted. Instead, she was forced once more to be the subject of a cruel glare from Bellatrix, who seemed to be enjoying having Ginny in her power.

"I hear that you are very close to Potter. Is this correct?" She stared at Ginny with exaggerated interest.

"I suppose that it is," Ginny said with as much politeness as she could muster. This caused Bellatrix to laugh.

"You are very skilled at biting your tongue, dear. It's slightly surprising. You have done well in hiding him from us. I had thought this would be a fairly easy task . . . I must have been wrong."

"Now, now," came Augustin's high voice, "we don't need any of that, Bella. Besides, I think it's time we actually reached the '_dinner_' part of this affair . . ."

Ginny nodded gratefully along with the rest of the guests. The plates filled with food, finer than anything she had eaten in a long time. Staring in wonder at the delectable meal in front of her, Ginny was happy for such a tasty distraction. Draco was toying with his food next to her, seeming to want to do anything but actually but it in his mouth. From her eyes, he could have done with a good meal. He had never been the most healthy boy, but he was bordering on anorexic now.

The goblets were filled to the brim with dark red wine, Ginny draining hers gratefully. It immediately refilled, but she did not want to risk getting tipsy right now. She took a small sip and set it back down, avoiding the rapt gaze of Augustin. She turned to Draco expectantly, hoping that he could ease the nervousness within her. He gave her a short sympathetic glance, then returned to poking at his meal.

They ate in silence for several minutes, Rebecca sending Ginny curious glances now and then before returning to her meal. Bellatrix ate with her eyes fixed on Ginny, as if watching to see what she would do. Augustin merely consumed his dinner hastily, as if he could not be satisfied quickly enough. He took a long and slow drink of wine, polishing it off without stopping for air.

"Now, Draco," Augustin said loudly, setting down his empty goblet with gusto, "how is your mother doing?"

Draco dropped his fork loudly. The resounding ting of metal hitting glass ringing through the tense air. Draco looked up at him in shock, as if he had stepped over some sort of invisible barrier. Augustin simply smiled back, faint curiosity playing on his face. Ginny sat frozen between the exchange.

"Well," Draco said, now looking at the table in front of him, "she's better. I saw her last night. Her fever has gone down considerably."

Augustin nodded gravely, "I was quite upset when I heard. It's nice to know she's doing better. I expect you'll be going to see her tonight?"

"No, I'm under orders to remain here for two more days," Draco said morosely.

Ginny felt an involuntary sympathy ache within her for him. She caught his eye as he looked at her,and for a moment no hatred burnt between them. Ginny turned away. In that short amount of time, it seemed that Augustin was growing tired of his dinner. He turned to Rebecca, who was eating her food silently, merely taking in the room before her. Ginny was forcibly reminded of a smiling marionette, blonde curls bobbing around a lifeless porcelain face.

"I think we'll call it a night, eh, darling?" he asked sweetly.

Rebecca nodded, "I'm quite full, yes. I think it would be nice to get some rest."

Bellatrix had already risen and made for the exit, but Augustin stood and stopped her. "I think it would be polite for you to say a proper good-bye before running off into the night, Bella."

She looked at her father with contempt, stopping in her tracks. Draco rose and stood behind Ginny's chair, waiting her to stand. When she did so, he pulled the chair out, allowing her to stand next to him before he pushed it back in. Ginny turned to watch Bellatrix and Rebecca exchanging a stiff hug, Draco grabbing her arm and holding tightly. Augustin walked up to Ginny and Draco, the same greasy and rapt smile plastered to his face as he shook her free hand. Ginny removed her hand from his as quickly as possible, relishing on the inside at the disappointment displayed now on his face.

Bellatrix walked over to Draco, giving him a short hug also, then looked Ginny over and rolled her eyes, heading for the door. Rebecca gave Ginny a smile and a hug, her silent peppiness following her right out the door behind Bellatrix. Draco nodded to Augustin, who exited through another door.

"Time to return you to your room," Draco said, pulling out the black cloth once more.

Ginny stood still as he wrapped it gently around her face once more, his hands much warmer than before. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and turned her around to face him. Taking her hand once more, she was led out of the door and down the hall. The journey seemed much shorter this time, and Ginny was almost sad to stand in the room once more.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning," He said, placing the cloth in his robes and staring at her, "I'll make sure to knock this time."


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_: **Loyalty

* * *

**

Ginny stepped into her white shorts quickly, Draco knocking on the wall loudly. She grabbed her yellow shirt and pulled it on, walking over and tapping back on the stone. She walked into the bathroom and emerged with her brush. The stone door opened slowly, Draco stepping in cautiously. Ginny smiled at him slyly but said nothing. She didn't suppose that teasing him would be the best thing to do right now.

Draco crossed the room and pulled out his wand, drawing up a chair for himself. He sat down in the stiff and wooden seat, looking at Ginny expectantly. She walked over to the bed and climbed atop the covers. Tossing her wet hair over her shoulders, she brushed it as he began his questioning.

"Alright, I want to get this over with quickly, so no games."

Ginny stopped brushing to nod her head, "Of course. I'd never prolong this _agony_."

He smiled at her shortly, then regained his composure. He asked his first question in a tired voice, "Where is Harry Potter?"

"I don't know."

"Have you had any other contact with him _besides _the letter we confiscated?"

Ginny shook her head, "No, I have not. Nice revision, by the way."

Draco ignored her comment and went on, "Do you know of anywhere he _could _be?"

"No, I'm sorry, but I don't."

He looked at her shortly, apparently happily surprised by her willingness to cooperate. Granted, she knew that he could tell she was lying, but he didn't look as if he felt like imploring further. She tossed her hair behind her back and set her brush down carefully.

"Thanks," He said as if he didn't know how to go on, "I'm glad you've stopped making this so hard on me– er, I mean, yourself."

"No problem," Ginny muttered, feeling uncomfortable now. She looked up to see him staring at her. "Is something wrong?"

The words had tumbled out before she even knew what was happening. The sympathetic gesture seemed to throw them equally off guard. Ginny knew that taking it back would only seem more suspicious, so she turned her worried glance quickly into a curious one. He sighed and looked at his hands.

"A little . . . nothing major."

"Tell me," She implored further.

He looked at her with his cold gray eyes, as if he didn't think he could trust her. "You don't have to pretend to care, Weasley. It's not as if it has anything to do with you."

She shook her head, crawling closer to the edge of the bed, "No, I want to know."

Draco sighed deeply and buried his face in his hands. This moment of vulnerability nearly provoked a loving understanding between them, but Ginny remained in her place. Where was she now if she didn't have her loyalties to cling to anymore? Draco looked up from his hands, eyes red and face pale. He was deteriorating, and she still wanted to know why. As much as she was supposed to hate him, she could not stand to see him like that.

"I just wish that I could get out of here," he said, "I don't even care at this point."

His sadness was starting to depress her even more than she had been before. "Is it your mother?"

The question was meant politely, but Draco took it wrong. "You don't know _anything_ about my mother, Weasley. Why would you care anyway? Why are you even asking right now?"

"Because you look upset! Excuse me for trying to release you from your depression!"

They sat staring at each other, both silently seething. Ginny instantly regretted her empathy. She could tell that she had succeeded in stinging Draco. Their combined anger and regret at showing signs of friendship seemed to throw a wrench into the beauty of the moment, tossing them both into unknown and uncomfortable territory. Ginny felt herself wanting to yell at him even more, but she held her tongue. Draco simply glared at her, anger the only evident emotion displayed by his pale features.

"You had better never take that tone with me again . . . not if you know what's good for you."

Ginny couldn't help but snap back, "I'll take whatever tone I'd like to when I'm speaking to _twit_ like you."

Draco gaped at her, "What did you just say?"

"You heard me."

He closed his open mouth and returned to glaring at her, "You have some nerve, Weasley."

"I wouldn't have to resort to insulting you if you'd just tell me what's really wrong with you," Ginny said honestly. She looked at him with a very serious innocence.

"We shouldn't be talking like this . . ." He said, looking away from her gaze. Guilt was clearly exposed in his expression. "You pretty much know already though."

"Why don't you go to see her?" Ginny asked, keeping her voice low. She didn't want to provoke him again.

He sighed and shook his head, "I can't. The only way out of here is . . . well, I'll just tell you that I can't do it myself. Until my superiors are ready to let me take leave, I have to stay here."

"Is there no one there to watch over her?"

"No," he shook his head once more, "She's alone right now."

Ginny gasped, "That's not fair."

This comment made him regard her in shock once more, "While I appreciate your sympathy, I must ask you to quit it."

"I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything."

He waved his hand dismissively, "It doesn't have anything to do with that, it's just that I don't want you to regard me in that sort of way. I'm not suffering anything terrible. It's just a rough month."

Ginny understood. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook it out, watching him all the while. The silence that emerged made her feel completely comfortable, which was new to her. Uncomfortable silences seemed to be her forte. Draco was watching her in an odd way, but she didn't want to question it now. She simply sighed and caught his gaze firmly.

"I thought you said this was going to be a short meeting," she said quietly.

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Are you growing tired of me, Weasley?"

"You could say that," Ginny replied coyly.

He laughed softly, "No, I forgot . . . I still have to ask you another question."

Ginny froze, "And what is that?"

"Well," He twiddled his fingers slowly, "I've been curious, ever since the first time I asked you about seeing Harry, as to why you reacted so strongly."

The room was completely soundless. Ginny felt her body tense up as she fought to sustain her calm. She could see him watching her with intent out of the corner of her eye and it made her mad. It made her so angry that she wanted to hit him. To hurt him, as he had just unwittingly hurt her.

"Because, I haven't." Truth and sadness rang through her voice as she avoided his gaze. "I haven't seen Harry since early this summer. You were right . . ."

"How so?"

She looked at her freckled hands, tears forming in her eyes and said in a haunting whisper, "He has abandoned me." Without warning, Ginny started to cry. She admired Draco's decency to look away.

"I think that I should go now," He said quietly, standing.

Ginny looked up at him through her bleary brown eyes, her silent sobs seeming to cause him pain. He gave her one last fleeting look, then turned and headed quickly for the door.

* * *

She turned the lights off, heading back for the bed quickly. Ginny slid into the warm blankets, settling into the soft pillows. Her eyes still stung from her tears, the eyelids puffy and heavy. She was nearly fast asleep when she heard the stone door slide open. Startled, she sat up quickly in the bed, looking through the blackness for the source of the noise.

"Malfoy?" She called uncertainly.

A high male voice spoke softly from across the room, "No. It's Augustin."

Ginny blinked into the dark, "Augustin? Why are you here?"

A faint light appeared from the tip of his wand, illuminating his large and intimidating form. He was wearing longs and billowing sleeping robes of darkest gray, his wavy hair unkempt. Ginny squinted into the blinding light as it came nearer to the bed.

"I wanted to see you. I am sorry if I awoke you."

He stood now next to the bed, his small eyes looking at her with that same rapt fascination. His gaze made her feel naked and hollow. She wrapped herself tighter in her blankets, looking at him with an involuntary fear.

"You look pale, dear," He said with mock concern, "I trust you are well?"

Ginny nodded, "It's just the light, sir."

He smiled mischievously, "Well, I suppose I will have to remedy that."

The light went out, throwing the room back into darkness. Ginny uttered a soft gasp, now shaking with terror. She felt him draw nearer to her, leaning over the bed. As he made to grab her arms, she slid backwards, recoiling from his touch. Augustin chuckled softly and made another move to reach for her, this time causing her to slide back and off of the bed.

As she fell to the floor, her first instinct was to run. She made it to the cold stone wall before remembering that there was no exit for her. She could make out Augustin's large form moving toward her as her hands clawed the wall feebly. He lunged at her, pinning her against the wall. His hot breath made Ginny gag.

"Your overreacting, dear," he said raggedly, struggling to hold her still, "Calm down before you do something stupid."

"Let me go," she pleaded, "Just let me go!"

She tried to squeeze out of his grip but found herself held even tighter than before. She shut her as his face came down on hers, a heated kiss trying to find its way to her mouth. Ginny turned her head fiercely, colliding with the hard wall. Wincing, she fought to release herself from his rough embrace once more, trying to scream at the same time. Augustin laughed coldly at her.

"You scream like someone would _want_ to save you," He said tauntingly into her ear. "You know just as well as I that no one cares."


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_: **Rejection

* * *

**

Ginny cringed at the harsh touch of his mouth on hers. The sensation made her want to vomit more than before as she grappled helplessly with his massive arms. She bit his lip hard, causing him to yell and slam her even more into the wall, her head knocking hard against it. Tears of pain sprang into her eyes, causing her to blink them fiercely away as she ducked out from under him.

With his hand to his lip and his wand raised maniacally, he ran after her. Ginny sprinted into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it. With his wand, there was no chance against her staying hidden for long. She slumped down against the door, trying to catch her breath. Running her hands over her face and the back of her head and felt for any injuries. Holding her hand now in front of her face, she saw blood. Ginny stood and went to the sink shakily, the sound of Augustin pounding on the door making it hard for her to hold her hands steady.

As she washed them off, she heard a loud bang. Jumping back from the sink, she stumbled into the tub as the door was blasted open. Augustin stood menacingly in the entrance, glaring at her. His hair was wild and his eyes blazing, his wand pointed directly at her face. Ginny froze. She couldn't move an inch for fear that he would do something drastic. She sat there, eyes locked with his. The fury radiating from him was amazing, and she felt even more hopeless than before. Once again, she was faced with a challenge : how would she stand against a full-grown wizard without so much as a wand?

He entered, keeping his wand up and his eyes on her. Ginny struggled to stand, but found herself wedged in the tub. Augustin's grimace turned into a twisted smile as he stood over her, the power he was now emitting making her shiver uncontrollably. She braced herself.

"Looks like you have no where to run once again," He said evilly, his wand now pointed directly at her heart. Ginny knew he wouldn't kill her, but she didn't want to risk it.

"Why are you doing this? You don't want me," Ginny said in a frightened and panicked voice.

He laughed wildly, "But I do want you, Ginny. I wouldn't have come here unless I did. I get what I want, young lady."

She was shaking more than ever, her hands clutching the tub with all of her strength. Her legs dangled feebly over the edge of the tub. Augustin bent low and grabbed her arms, yanking her painfully out of the bath and up onto the floor. Ginny yelped as he dragged her back into the room. He tossed her like a doll onto the bed and laughed more.

"Now, you just hold still, _young lady_," He said, making Ginny cringe at his choice of title for her.

As he crawled onto the bed, pinning her once more, Ginny started to kick at every inch of him. He chuckled at her as if she were nothing to worry about. He planted another fierce kiss on her, this time making sure she wouldn't bite back by shoving his wand into her side hard. Ginny opened her eyes and looked around the room for any sign of hope. The emptiness and darkness made her heart fall.

"There's nothing there," He said as he caught her looking around, "Nothing at all . . ."

"You're wrong," Came a low voice from the far side of the room. "Get off of her, Augustin."

Ginny breathed harshly as Augustin drew his hands away from her, putting them in the air like a criminal. He got off of the bed quickly, stumbling slightly as he turned to face the intruder. Ginny sat up and recognized the tall and thin frame of Draco Malfoy. He stood with his wand raised and ready, his eyes narrowed at Augustin.

Ginny slid off of the bed to him, hiding behind him like a child. He looked down at her softly, putting a hand on her shoulder as she crouched behind his back. The gesture eased some of her anxiety, allowing her focus clearly. Draco returned to glaring at Augustin.

"Now, now, Draco," said Augustin in a cautious voice, "Don't do anything hasty now."

"Oh, I won't do anything hasty, Uncle. I believe that you've learned your lesson."

Ginny glared at Augustin as he smiled benignly at Draco, laughing weakly, "I think that I have, yes. I'll just be going now then . . ."

He made to go to the door, but Draco stopped him, his wand aimed at Augustin. "Stop right there."

He froze, "What is it now?"

"Apologize."

Augustin stared at him, eyebrows knitted together, "What for?"

"If you've truly learned your lesson, then you shouldn't need to ask that question," Draco said evenly. "Now, apologize to her."

He looked at Ginny hiding behind Draco, a look of disgust now taking over his face, "I'm sorry."

"You didn't mean that," Draco spat, "Say it like you mean it."

Ginny looked into the now cold face of Augustin, who looked very much like a mouse caught in a cage. She had been right about his intentions, and it made her want to hate him for a new reason. Before, it was simply because of her situation. Now, it seemed more than a little personal. Draco's hand on her shoulder gave her a little strength as she focused all of her hate at Augustin. His eyes darted around and he was rubbing his hands together, seeming to forget about his wand, which lay abandoned on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Weasley," he apologized slowly, looking now directly at her, "I seem to have made a mistake."

Draco looked down at Ginny, "Will that suffice?"

She nodded up at him. "For now, it will."

He nodded back and motioned at Augustin to pick up his wand. Draco watched as he did so, then moved aside, one hand on Ginny protectively, so he could leave. As the stone door shut, Draco let go of her, now looking very worried. His gray eyes looked into hers as he helped her to stand. Her knees felt weak and uneven, but she stood nonetheless. His hand was no longer on her shoulder. Instead, he had moved it to her face, as if inspecting her.

"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" The wounded look on his face surprised Ginny.

"No, he just kissed me."

Draco sighed out of relief then looked at her gently, "Your head is bleeding."

"It's fine, I promise," Ginny said.

He started to protest, but was shocked as Ginny seized him, hugging him in thanks. For a moment, he forgot about the animosity between them and closed his eyes. The hug was warm, something Ginny hadn't known for the longest time now. She rested her head gently on his shoulder, wanting to stay there forever. The human comfort, the closeness . . . she couldn't give that up just yet. She felt as if he were thinking the same as her as he began to wrap his arms around her back.

In a moment, it seemed that Draco came to his senses. He froze and grabbed her arms, pulling her off of him and shoving her away. His face was calm but determined. Ginny felt cold as he spoke.

"Don't you ever do that again, Weasley," He said quietly, then went to the wall and exited through the door.

Ginny felt fresh tears and fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands and weeping softly.

* * *

Ginny lay in her bed anxiously. She had not been able to sleep at all out of fear and desperation. He covers pushed down to the foot of the bed and pillows laying haphazardly about her, she waited for Draco. The hours passed by slowly and she still did not move. Staring up at the top of the canopy once more, she clutched herself for comfort.

She felt so restless and so empty. Her red hair covered part of her face, but she didn't brush it away. The back of her head stung and she was sure that it had stained her pillows, but she didn't get up to check. The day passed by and she did not move. She wouldn't move until Draco came. She couldn't.

Night came and Ginny sat up. The room around her was empty and quiet, nothing moving and nothing there for her to find solace in. She got out of the bed and walked to the bathroom, looking down in sadness at the dried remnants of blood in the sink. Grabbing a towel and a rag, she went to the tub once more and turned on the water. She walked back to the door and closed it slowly, letting it click before she turned the lock. Slipping out of her clothes and into the warm water, she sighed heavily.

As her head lowered into the water, she saw the water turn red. Lifting her head slowly out of the water and running her hands over it, she tried her best to rinse it out. Not phased by the fact that her bath water was now mixed with her own dried blood, she cleaned her hair and stood up. Ginny grabbed the towel from the floor and wrapped it around herself, stepping out of the tub and leaning over the side to let the water out.

Ginny walked to the mirror, looking at her face. There were a few thin scratches along her right cheek, and a large bruise was forming on her chin, but other than that she looked much better than she thought she would. She turned the tap and washed her hands, making sure to get the blood out from under her fingernails. She knew that Augustin was probably in the process of convincing himself that she was being over dramatic and that he was in the right. At this point, he could convince himself of whatever he wanted. She didn't care.

After brushing her teeth and opening the door, she walked into the main chamber. Her wet hair hung behind her back, the wound on her head still aching. Ginny went to the wardrobe and took out a fresh outfit, setting it out on the bed. She crossed over to the bed stand, where she had placed her diary. She didn't realize how long it had been since she had opened it.

As she turned the small key, the note came into view. Ginny had forgotten all about it the haste of that night, when she had first met the, as far as she knew, rest of the household. She pulled it out gently and held it in front of her face, reading it slowly.

_I just wanted to give you this back, as I'm sure you'd like to have it. And yes, I did read it. _

**DM**

Ginny opened the diary to look for any other odd things, missing entries or added commentary. She smiled when she found none, glad that he had at least resisted the temptation to tease her. Sliding the note back in place, she closed the diary and locked it back. She laid it back on the stand and got dressed. She got into the bed, tossing the pillow she had been sleeping on to the floor.

As she closed her eyes and laid her head against another pillow, she fought to keep herself from thinking about anything. With the light still on, she lay in the bed attempting to get sleep. Though she knew it wouldn't come that easily, she kept her eyes shut and her mind blank just in case.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_: **Compassion

* * *

**

The next four days passed with enormous difficulty. Draco seemed to be avoiding her, or he had already left to take care of his mother. Either way, Ginny felt more lonely than ever. The first day a house elf came into the room bearing a small breakfast, simply an apple and a glass of water. She supposed this was Augustin's spiteful way of paying her back, but ate it hungrily nonetheless. The house elf waited by her bedside silently, as if it were told not to talk to her at all. As Ginny finished off her water, the elf reached up quickly and snatched it out of her hand along with the tray, then shuffled to the wall and exited through the door.

Ginny lamented the loneliness she was feeling in her mind. She had been isolated before, even going days without seeing Draco, but now she felt rejected and betrayed. She had let her emotions get the best of her this time, and had inevitably felt something for him. As much as she tried to justify any hatred toward him, she couldn't even make herself think something harsh about him. She remembered wistfully the feeling of his hug, as short as it had been.

Not able to think ill of him, she moved into other thoughts that she had pushed away. Harry was probably alone now. Ron and Hermione were due back only a couple of days after she was taken, but maybe they had come back at the news. Maybe there hadn't been any news. She wondered if Fred and George were looking for her. Her parents would be home in a few days. Ginny had already been in captivity for two weeks, which meant that they would be back within the next week. Had they already returned? Surely the twins would have alerted them of her capture, or Fleur even.

She wondered about Tonks and Lupin. They had been injured. What had become of them? She didn't think they were dead, the way they looked suggested they were only knocked out. What did that man do to Fleur after Ginny was knocked out? She didn't want to think about that. Hastily, she moved onto other things.

Harry was ever the hero. Was he searching for her? Without warning, she felt her heart rise uneasily, a lightness she had felt every time she thought of Harry in a bright way coursing through her. What had he been doing with Hermione and Ron anyway? Hermione had asked Ginny to look through her books for anyone with the initials R.A.B, but she had never had the time. Sadly, she wondered what they were looking for. The search that had kept Harry busy and unable to talk to her was now remembered bitterly in her head.

She shook the thoughts away and laid her head down against her pillow. The morning was not comforting to her. She wanted to see the sun again. She wanted to look at trees and at flowers and at the bright sky. Ginny sat up once more as the door opened. She rolled her eyes and waited for the small house elf to enter.

Not expecting Draco, she was pleasantly surprised to find him standing in the room now. His blond hair was dirty and his clothes were dingy and wrinkled. His gray eyes held no glimmer, reminding her of her own eyes the night she had first came here. The deadened and defeated look in them made her heart fall. He walked to her slowly, as if it were hard to move. He looked worse than she had ever seen him.

Ginny tossed her blankets aside and got out of the bed, meeting him in the middle of the room. He looked at her face softly, as if he were happy to see her. She returned his sweet look and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ginny," he breathed, "I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you."

She shook her head, "Don't be, it's alright. Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," he said unconvincingly. "I just got back from my house."

"Is your mother alright?" She knew that he was upset, even if he wouldn't tell her.

He nodded quickly, "Yes, she's much better. I finally got someone to watch her. Or rather, someone came by and volunteered."

"Who?"

"Snape." Draco looked at her, hope in his eyes.

Ginny looked away from him. The mention of Severus Snape made her insides turn to ice. Harry had told her all about him. He had told her about how Snape had killed Dumbledore, breaking the already shaken spirit of Hogwarts. And about how he ran like a coward for the hills, Draco by his side. Ginny had forgotten all about Draco's involvement in the situation. Honestly, she had felt the same hatred she was sure that Harry had when she heard at first. Now, she regarded him sympathetically.

"At least she'll be taken care of," Ginny found herself saying, still not looking at Draco. She removed her hand from his shoulder.

He stood awkwardly next to her, still not aware of how vulnerable he was being. Ginny looked back at him, not able to keep from avoiding him any longer. His eyes were on her, wide and innocent like a child. She had never seen that look from him before. It reminded her forcibly of how Harry had looked at her when he broke it off. Ginny pushed the picture away, concentrating instead on Draco.

"You look terrible, Draco," she said, looking him over. "Have you had anything to eat?"

He shook his head, "Not in two days."

Ginny sighed, "You really should eat something. Why don't you go and get something now?"

"No, I wanted to see you."

She tried to keep her heart from lifting at his words. "You did?"

He nodded, "I feel terrible. I didn't mean to abandon you. You've lost so much already . . ."

Ginny was now suspicious. "Why are you being so nice to me? You're playing with my head, aren't you? Admit it!"

"No, no," he said fearfully, "I'm not. I wouldn't do that to you."

She was starting to cry, "You're a terrible liar."

"No! I'm not lying!" he yelled, his face flushing, "Stop being so damn paranoid!"

Ginny flinched at the harsh sound of his voice. The asshole was making itself known again. These quick changes in his personality were throwing her off immensely. She stopped crying.

"I'm sorry . . ."

He looked at her sad face now gently, "Don't apologize. You don't need to."

Draco's face now looked weaker than it had before. Ginny pulled him close to her, embracing him delicately. She couldn't handle him rejecting her again, and she was thankful when he wrapped his arms around her back. He stroked her hair softly, his face against hers. The coldness of his body mixed with the warmth and heat of hers made both of them shiver. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling once more.

They stayed that way for as long as possible. The stone door slid open and the small house elf came in, instantly dropping her tray of food to the floor at the sight she beheld. Ginny ignored it, but smiled to herself as Draco shooed the elf out, telling it to bring more food quickly. The door slid shut once more and Draco pulled her even closer to him.

* * *

The house elf left with the silver tray, keeping her eyes off of the sleeping couple in the bed. Draco's arms were wrapped around Ginny, his head snuggled against hers on the pillow. Ginny opened her eyes slowly as the stone door shut, looking at the wall. She ran her thumb over the back of his hand slowly, caressing him in his sleep. 

She didn't care anymore about who she was. All that was important was the closeness, the human contact . . . the comfort and solace she had been deprived of for so long. She could handle Draco's coldness, which she knew would come when they parted. She could even handle his short temper and she would be perfectly capable of getting him to admit his feelings. They had crossed a barrier now, and she knew that they would never be the same.

Harry's face swam in her mind, cold and distant now. Who was he to her? She loved him more than she thought she could ever love anyone, but if he found out about how she was feeling toward Draco he would surely hate her. As far as she knew, he might have already gotten over her. His stupid hero's brain would never allow himself to think of her fondly when there was work to be done. She had known that ever since he told her that they were no longer together. Ginny wasn't sure if she still felt the emptiness now that she was laying next to Draco, the whole of him trying its best to complete her.

Draco snored loudly in her ear, causing her to smile widely. She bit back a giggle and turned her head to look at his pale and pointed face. His mouth was open slightly, soft wheezes of a deep sleep issued from his nose. Ginny turned back over and allowed herself to fall asleep in his arms. She wasn't sure of what would happen tomorrow when they woke up, but she didn't want to think about that now. Not when she was finally getting the companionship she had been wishing for.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven_: **Interruption

* * *

**

Ginny opened her eyes slowly, the light of the room peeking in. Draco stared down at her, his gray eyes full of curiosity, the most serious of looks on his face. She smiled up at him, stretching her arms above her head. He smiled back down at her.

"I thought you would have left," Ginny confessed, not taking her eyes off of him.

He shook his head, "No . . . I don't have anywhere else I need to be."

She sat up, her face close to his. They stared at each other for a moment before Draco turned his head away. Ginny tried to gather the strength to move back in, but was interrupted by a soft buzz emitted by his watch. He lifted it up to the light, then glared at it. Ginny looked to read it, but he moved it out of her sight. Draco checked it one more time, as if to make sure of what he was seeing.

"Damn," he muttered. He looked at Ginny, "I have to go. I need to give my report."

Ginny nodded, "Alright . . ."

He smiled at her, "I'll be back tonight."

Ginny blushed as he leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek. With a smile and a wink he got off of the bed, exiting the room quickly. Ginny laid back down on the bed, feeling happier than she knew she should. The night had been so eventful, she felt as if she had hardly had any time to think about what had happened. Sleeping in his arms was a feeling she never wanted to forget. The sensation of his chest rising and falling with hers, his soft breath on her neck as she was lulled into a peaceful sleep. After all of the harsh words that had occurred between them over the years, she would never have imagined he was so serene when he slept.

A thought sprang into her mind. What if she never left here? She could choose to stay, couldn't she? Perhaps she could simply talk Draco into an escape. She laughed at herself. Maybe it was simply the way things were moving between them that made her feel so spontaneous. Draco seemed to make so many snappy decisions that it was hard for her to imagine him stopping long enough to plan a daring escape with her.

The thoughts she was thinking and the way she was thinking made her a bit guilty. She should be dreaming of Harry, not remembering Draco Malfoy and his attractive spontaneity. Harry had his moments of spontaneity too, though they usually led him into immense and unforgivable trouble. Ginny felt a bit odd about reminiscing about Harry after spending a whole night in his sworn rival's arms. Though she knew the problem would arise should Harry ever find out, she chose to ignore her own guilt. She didn't want to spend the day feeling upset. Not after having such a calm and peaceful night.

The rest of the day went by quickly. Ginny tidied up her space a bit, simply out of need to do something to rid herself of the intense energy she was feeling. She made her bed and went into the bathroom, picking up towels and clothes and tossing them into a pile next to her wardrobe. After folding and sorting them, she placed the piles against the stone wall leading out. She would give them to the house elf to clean when it came back.

It had surprised her still that Draco was able to bring so many of her clothes from her house without being caught. Of course, she knew he didn't go alone, but it was still quite a feat. She stopped marveling over this long enough to bathe and change into another set of sleeping clothes. Ginny brushed out her hair and went to sit on the bed.

Her sense of timing could not have been any better. As soon as she sat down on the bed she heard the stone door slide open. Draco came in looking quite upset. Ginny made a move to go to him, but he held his hand up, stopping her. He walked slowly to the bed and stopped, looking at her with remorse in his eyes.

"Don't," Ginny said desperately, "Don't say it."

Draco looked at her oddly, "What?"

"I know what you're doing. You're acting weird now. You're about to tell me to leave you alone . . . Don't do it."

"Ginny, I can't tell you what you want to hear. Not now," He said slowly, "Something major has happened . . . you're not safe feeling what you have been feeling for me anymore."

She shook her head, "That's not for _you_ to decide."

"Yes, I think that it is. I've been given some pretty harsh orders, Ginny."

He wasn't telling her everything. She could tell from the way his eyes avoided hers. Ginny might not be good at some things, but she had learned how to read people's emotions over the years. Watching her brothers and friends had taught her that avoided eye contact was a sure sign of half-truth. She glared at him.

"Spit it out, Draco."

He walked closer to the bed, "Like I said . . . I've been ordered to do something that will prove to be hard . . ."

"What?" Ginny asked, eyes narrowed.

"I've been ordered," Draco drew in a deep breath, "to kill you . . ."

Ginny stared at him. "Harsh orders! To kill me? That's not a _harsh_ order at all, Draco! That's downright _barbaric_!"

Draco looked to the floor, "You don't even want to know why, do you?"

"Why?" She asked quietly.

She heard him swallow hard, "Potter's been up to something pretty big, Ginny. And the Dark Lord--"

"Not him again!" Ginny interjected, thoroughly disgruntled. He was always coming between her and the ones she cared about. It was enough to make her want to scream.

Draco bit his lip. He continued, "He thinks that harming you, killing you in particular, is the only way to stop Potter."

"That's utter rubbish."

"How is that?"

Ginny glared at him, "Like killing me would make Harry want to give up on everything. That would only incense him more."

Draco paused, as if he hadn't thought of this. Ginny rolled her eyes. It was so blatantly obvious to her that it seemed impossible for anyone to think otherwise. Judging by the way he responded to Sirius and Dumbledore being killed, there was no other way to think of him taking it. Harry always seemed to go for the most immediate and direct route to revenge: letting his anger take hold and do with those who had wronged him whatever it would like.

"So, are you going to do it?" She asked boldly, shocking him from his thoughts.

"Are you serious! Of course I'm not."

She looked away from him. "What other choice do you have?"

"I can think for myself, Ginny!" He yelled suddenly, "The Dark Lord has power, sure, but I would never kill something I care . . ." He trailed off and met her eyes, his hands shaking.

Ginny inched toward his edge of the bed, reaching out and taking his hand. She held it firmly. "Draco, you can't die over me. What about your mother? Her life is more important to you, and I know it. Don't even try to lie. You haven't known my love nearly as long as you have hers. And yes . . . I do love you. I don't want you doing something you'll regret . . ."

He pulled her close to him suddenly, her face directly in his. Cold hands gripped her arms as his gray eyes bore into hers with a fiery stare. "I would regret killing you more than allowing my mother to die, Ginny. Despite what you have been led to believe, I am no murderer. I have never had any true intention of becoming one either."

"You'd be a murderer either way," Ginny said, her voice full of grim reality.

"I won't kill you, Ginny," Draco said strongly.

"I know," said Ginny, her eyes watering.

She leaned in suddenly, closing the gap between them. Draco's grip on her arms loosened a bit as he lost himself with her. Ginny leaned into it more, deepening the kiss. His hands let her go as he pulled out it. Ginny opened her eyes and stared at him with dismay. His face was flushed and his eyes narrowed at her.

"Are you stupid!" He shouted suddenly. "Why would you do _that_? Can't you see that you're already driving me crazy as it is? Don't make this any harder on me than it already is!"

"Don't call me stupid!" She yelled back, "I was trying to make you feel better. Why are you so mad at me for kissing you?"

He closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. He made a move to respond, but seemed to be unable to. Ginny slid off of the bed and walked up to him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. Draco opened his eyes and looked down at her expressionless.

"You shouldn't be getting so close to me," He said finally. "What would Potter think?"

It was Ginny's turn to get angry. "Don't you drag him into this! What has he got to do with anything?"

"He has everything to do with this, and I know that you agree."

Ginny dropped her hand to her side and stared down at the floor. She had let him in on more than she had meant. She didn't have the time to object now, the damage had already been done. With one fatal look into his eyes, they both knew what had to happen now. How could they be when she had such a demon to deal with already?

Fortunately, Ginny did not have the time to address this question. Outside of her room a sudden surge of shouts and explosions were heard. Draco pulled her to his chest protectively, drawing his wand in one swift movement and dragging her to the floor. Ginny closed her eyes as a blast shook the room with more force than had ever felt. She buried her face into his robes, squeaking softly with fright.

"Get out of the way!" shouted a familiar voice outside of the room. "I know she's here! Let me get to the door!"

"_Never_!" screamed a wild female.

A loud blast was heard once more. Ginny screamed loudly along with several others outside. Something hit the wall softly, a dull thud and clunk heard. Draco squeezed her tighter, nearly cutting off her breathing. Ginny didn't protest. She was too worried about what would be coming through that door shortly.

Draco stood unevenly, pulling her up with him. He stepped away from Ginny and moved in front of the wall as the door materialized. He pointed his wand steadily at it, staring unblinkingly. Several voices were heard whispering behind it, hushing each other as it slid open. Ginny stood rooted to the spot, dreading what was to come. The moment passed slower than any moment she had ever experienced. Her eyes widened as a tall and heroic figure emerged, covered head to foot in dust. Ginny gasped softly.

Two more figures moved in beside him, both with wands raised high. They weren't nearly as dirt-covered as the first, but both in varying degrees of extreme disarray. They all narrowed their eyes at Draco, who stood now with more determination than ever.

"Get out of my way, Malfoy," said the boy in a growl. He looked at Ginny with wide eyes.

She moved forward slightly. "Harry?"


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve_: **Regret

* * *

**

"It's me, Ginny," Harry said, meeting her eyes with a bright emerald gaze. "We need to get out of here. Quickly."

Ron and Hermione stood on either side of him, Hermione watching Draco warily, while Ron was motioning for her to come to them. Ginny started to go to him, but was stopped by Draco's arm. He pulled her close to him, turning her to face him. She tried not to look too deeply in his eyes.

"You can't leave," he whispered desperately, "he'll kill her, Ginny. That's why Snape is there."

She looked down, whispering back, "What will _they_ think if I refuse?"

"It's your decision. I don't want you to leave, but I know I can't make you stay," he said with a quiet finality. "What do you want me to do?"

Ginny looked back up at him, fully realizing that they were being watched. "Put on your best show, Draco."

He nodded at her and took her arm fiercely, pulling her close to him and holding her. Harry made a sudden move to grab her, but was pulled back by an anxious looking Hermione. Ginny closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to give anything away with anxious glances. She heard Ron yell suddenly.

"Get your _filthy_ hands off of my sister!"

"Ron, calm down," came Hermione's soft voice, "We won't get anywhere if you keep yelling at him."

Harry laughed, "He's only stalling. He can't take on all three of us. I know he won't hurt her. He's not stupid."

"He's shaking," Ron added teasingly. "What a right cowardly bastard you are, Malfoy."

Ginny shivered as Draco replied, his breath tingling her neck, "I wouldn't say things like that, Weasley . . . it makes me think that you aren't worried about her."

She opened her eyes to look at Ron, who was seething, "Don't even think for a moment that you know a _thing_ about my family."

Draco ignored this and turned his attention to Harry, "I see you're not too keen on the idea of hiding your emotions. Surely you wouldn't do anything _reckless _. . . I know you're not the sort to jump into things."

Harry's face turned bright red as Draco laughed derisively. Ginny felt horrible watching the scene play out, but she knew that she couldn't show any contempt toward either side, whether for fear of her being caught in a lie, or simply because she secretly wanted to stay with Draco a moment longer. Hermione was standing, her wand still raised, but no with a hand on Harry's shaking shoulders. She looked at Ginny in utter fear, trying to decipher what must have been a look of a thousand emotions displayed on Ginny's face.

"Just let her go," Hermione pleaded, "We've already caused enough trouble."

Draco's head snapped in her direction, "Shut your filthy mouth. I won't be taking any advice from the likes of you."

"I never," Hermione mumbled, her cheeks turning pink. "You are some piece of work!"

"That's enough insults for now," Harry croaked. "It's not getting us anywhere. Let's settle this like men, Malfoy."

Once again Draco laughed, "Like men?"

"Yes . . . I think a proper, all trickery aside, duel would work nicely."

Ginny felt her heart fall. Draco could never defeat Harry in a duel. She didn't care how determined he might be, Harry knew every curse and counter curse under the sun. His preparation for his summer and year away from Hogwarts had been told to her by Hermione, who said that the things that he had taught them in the DA would pale in comparison to the knowledge he had gained. Draco's grip on her was loosening. Ginny wanted more than anything to yell at him not to do it. She knew what the outcome would be.

"That's not too bad a proposition, Potter," Draco said slowly, as if thinking it over as he agreed. Ginny felt like she was going to be sick. "What are the conditions? And don't try to play me, I know you have rules already planned."

Harry smiled menacingly, "If you win, we leave without a fight. If I win . . . I take Ginny with me and leave you to die."

Draco laughed. "Leave me to die, will you? We'll see about that."

Ginny froze as Draco let her go, pushing her as gently as he could behind him. He turned back to Harry, his wand at the ready. Harry's green eyes glittered slightly as he looked at Ginny shortly. She tried to will him not to do it. She tried to tell him in one glance that she could go unharmed if only he would swallow his pride and walk away. Harry didn't notice her pleas and instead focused his attention on Draco.

There she stood, looking on at the scene helplessly. Harry and Draco bowed, honoring whatever tradition they could. Finally, the curses began. Ginny yelped as a missed curse flew by her head. Ron and Hermione were standing uneasily, as if trying to find a way to get around them. Harry ran forward, casting a quick and devastatingly shocking hex. Draco dodged it deftly and sent his own. Ginny couldn't stand evading curses any longer. She saw Ron sprint past Harry and Draco, running up to her and pulling her to him.

Hermione yelled at them hurriedly, "Get three things, Ginny!"

Ginny stared at her, "What? Three things?"

The curses bounced off of the walls as Hermione yelled impatiently, "Three of your things!"

"Oh!" Ginny yelled back, then looked at Ron, who was leading her to the wardrobe. She opened it hurriedly and grabbed her dress robes and a pair of jeans. She ran quickly to the bedside stand and grabbed her diary, then stared at Ron. He took the objects and stuffed them inside of his robes.

"Come on, they aren't paying us any mind right now."

They ran quickly around the duelists, Hermione grabbing Ginny and hugging her fiercely. Ginny ignored all of the hubbub they were making and stood to watch Draco and Harry anxiously. They were still sending rapid fire hexes, both red from frustration and exertion. Hermione stepped forward edgily, as if trying to make her mind up about something. Ron stood frozen, his face white.

"Give it up!" Harry yelled. "This has gone on long enough!"

Draco laughed as he ducked to dodge a curse. "Is that how you want to remember our duel? The one we've been trying to have since our first year? I think not."

Ginny screamed as he sent a curse at Harry. It grazed his right arm, tearing a hole in his robes and drawing blood. Harry cried out in pain, but moved quickly to react. Ron now took Ginny and held her, as if he were worried about her being hurt. If only he knew that Draco would never try to hurt her. If only they all knew . . . none of this would be happening. She felt like running in between the two of them, stopping this whole mess.

She heard Hermione whispering to Ron about something, turning her head in interest. Ron shook his head at her and continued listening. Ginny was outraged. Even in a life or death situation they still would not fill her in.

She did not have much time to stew in her annoyance, for Hermione now had her wand pointed at Draco. Harry and he were still dueling fiercely, ducking and running to evade various hexes and other spells. Hermione looked very torn. Ginny knew she did not like inflicting pain or anything of the sort, no matter who was the target. Ron was looking at Hermione, trying to egg her on. Ginny knew that the only reason he was not trying to do anything was because he felt like he had to protect her.

As soon as Harry ducked to the floor to escape the wrath of one of Draco's curses, Hermione sprung into action.

"_Stupefy_!" She yelled, hitting Draco directly in the chest.

Ginny watched in horror as he groaned and fell to the ground, his red face paling. She tried to break free from Ron, wanting to get to him. She didn't even stop to think of what Ron would do if she did run to Draco's aid. He pulled her back to his chest quickly, she still facing the scene in anguish. Harry stood, breathing hard. He put his wand in his robes and turned to Ginny.

She closed her eyes, tears sliding out. Ron eased up as she stopped struggling, letting her go. Ginny opened her eyes to find Harry in front of her, his own wide with curiosity. He took her and hugged her softly, stroking her hair and calming her. Ginny continued to cry silently, knowing that Draco would be left here at the mercy of Voldemort.

They left, running through chambers blindly. For what felt like hours, Hermione led them down passageway after passageway. The halls groaned inexplicably as they tried to find a way out. Ginny was not of much help to them, and Hermione was getting edgier and edgier, finally stopping to cry out in anguish

"It didn't take this long for us to get here!"

Harry looked around, "I don't remember any of this."

"It changes," said Ginny quietly, remembering her long trips to the bath from Bellatrix's room.

"What?" Hermione looked at her oddly.

"I think it's a defense charm," Ginny continued. "Until a week ago, every time I was taken out of the room, it was different. After that, they finally starting to just blindfold me. I guess it was easier than turning on and off the charm."

Ron punched the wall in anger. "How the hell are we supposed to get out then?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know . . . How did you get in?"

"Well, we heard about this place from Lupin. He'd been here once on a mission from the Order. It's an underground mansion. It was nearly impossible to find, but not that hard to get into once we did." Harry was looking around as he spoke. "There was a set of stone steps, and we went down those until we got to a cellar door. Hermione opened it, and then we were in a long hall . . . like this one."

"Remember that portrait?" Hermione asked him. "The one of the man and the witch?"

Ginny turned to her quickly, "What?"

"It was a wizard and a witch. They told us to go down the leftmost hall, then turn to the right, and then left, then right again. That's how we got to a dining hall."

"Did you meet anyone there?" Ginny asked quickly, looking at her with intent.

Hermione looked a bit worried, "Yes, actually . . . we met a man and a woman."

"What did they look like?"

"The man was tall and quite large. He drew his wand on us, but Ron stepped in and stunned him. The girl was quite tall and blonde. She led us to your hall, but left before we could thank her."

Ginny was shocked. Rebecca helping them was not something she would have expected. Though, her light and airy attitude and the way she acted toward Bellatrix should have told her otherwise. Hermione was looking at her with wonder.

"I think we should try to retrace your steps." Ginny looked around, then back at Hermione. "You said he told you to go left, then right, left again, and then right once more?"

She nodded. "Yes . . . but do you really think that it will lead us back there?"

"I think that it's worth a try. You can tell me if you see anything familiar on the way, alright?"

Hermione and Ron nodded, and headed further down the hall. Harry stayed with Ginny, who walked a little slower than the first two. Ginny stopped as they reached the turn and looked at Harry.

"I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything . . ." she began, not looking directly at him, "but, why did it take you so long to find me?"

Harry looked a bit guilty. "Well, the twins sent us a post about your being taken a couple of days after it happened, but we were so busy that we didn't read it immediately. Hermione tried to tear us away, but we were so keen on getting what we needed . . ."

Ginny looked at him with a hurt expression. "Oh . . . I see."

"You have got to believe me, when I found out I felt horrible, Gin. I would never just leave you." Harry looked at her sincerely.

She couldn't help but get a little perturbed at his words. "Never leave me? What do you call what you have been doing all summer! Oh, I suppose you didn't _leave _me as much as you _ignored_ me."

He looked at her with shock, wanting to protest. Ginny simply glared, silencing him, and went up to join Hermione and Ron. She did not care what he said. She had every right to feel hurt and neglected, and she was not going to stand there and listen to him say otherwise. Even if he did just succeed in making himself her hero yet another time.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Thirteen_: **Flight

* * *

**

They walked through the series of hallways, finally making their way to a long hall, leading to the dining room. Ginny stopped and turned to the trio, looking quiet pleased with herself. Ron and Harry stood in awe, but Hermione looked slightly disappointed.

"I'd hoped that this would lead us back to the entrance . . . I don't think it will be a good idea to go in there. What if that man's waiting for us?"

Ginny sighed, "I don't think he'd stick around. From what I know of Augustin, he's a bit of a coward."

"Well, that's all fine and everything," Ron said, "but how are we supposed to get out_ now_?"

"Perhaps that series of halls is just the way to get to dining hall," Harry offered.

Ginny bit her lip, "Maybe we can find a friendly face."

"As far as my experience in this place can tell me, I don't think that's too probable." Hermione looked at Ron and Harry, "What do you two think?"

Ron simply shrugged. Harry did the same, but added an unconvincing nod to the end. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to walk further, Ginny following quickly behind. They came up to the tall and solid oak door and Ginny was nearly overwhelmed by guilt. She thought back to standing there with Draco, feeling incredibly nervous, but slightly calmed by his presence. She turned to her right to find Harry staring at her oddly. She turned away and reached for the handle.

Most fortunate for them, Augustin was not there. Ginny stepped inside first, being the most familiar with the surroundings. She smiled to see Rebecca sitting serenely at the table, her blonde hair curled to perfection. She stood up, her pink satin robes billowing about her, and gave them the brightest smile.

"Thank goodness you made it back!" Came her childish voice, "I've only just sent Augustin off to obtain you. I told him that you had fled already. He was quite keen on finding you."

Ginny had to keep herself from laughing. The bright and shiny actions of Rebecca were too humorous for her to bear. Unlike her, the trio looked utterly relieved. Harry still stood a little further behind them, as if he was still aware that Ginny was not ready to talk to him. Ginny made her way to Rebecca.

"Do you think that you could show us the way out of here?" Ginny asked.

Rebecca nodded, "What do you think I'm here for, silly?"

Promptly, she stood and went to Ron and Harry, smiling coyly at them and taking their hands. Ginny and Hermione followed swiftly, as the three of their much taller companions made their way briskly through the room. Rebecca stopped near a statue and kicked it in the shin, laughing as it stumbled away. Harry and Ron looked at each other in amusement, but Hermione looked absolutely terrified. Ginny smiled to herself.

As they walked down a narrow passageway, Ginny felt a warmer breeze blowing at them. Rebecca hunched down and let go of Ron and Harry, crawling to a small door. As the boys climbed through after her, Hermione hurried to follow. Ginny crouched down and crawled through the door, glad that she wasn't burdened by cumbersome cloaks and robes like they.

They came out into a large foyer, Rebecca waiting to help them out of the door. Ginny took her hand, standing and brushing her shorts of dust. Rebecca smiled at her and proceeded without warning to run down the foyer. Harry and Ron sprinted after, looking absolutely confused by Rebecca's soft giggling. Ginny followed at a slower pace, keeping her running down to a slow jog with Hermione. They were led down a longer hall, where Rebecca stopped, causing Ron to run into her and knock her down. Harry stopped near Ginny and Hermione, who had sped up to see if they were okay.

"I'm so sorry," Ron mumbled, ears and cheeks bright red. He pulled Rebecca from the floor and stood her up.

She smiled, "Oh, it's quite alright! My fault, really . . . No matter! Anyway, I was just going to tell you that I must go now. I have to find Augustin outside, as I'm sure you don't want to run into him. You four just go out of that door and up the steps. Then you must remember to turn_ right_, not left."

Ginny smiled at her, "Thank you so much."

She grinned back, pulling Ginny into a hug. She whispered softly to her, "I know that Draco wouldn't have wanted me not to help you."

Ginny froze, then looked at her uncertainly. Rebecca shook her head firmly and let her go, turning to the trio and hugging them each in turn. Ron blushed even more when she did so, and pulled away from her quickly. Hermione sent him a jealous glance, hitting him on the arm. Ron shrugged and grinned sheepishly at her.

* * *

Harry took Ginny's hand remorselessly, refusing to let it go as they walked down a long dirt road. Hermione groaned as it started to pour down rain. She turned to Ron and Harry in anger.

"Why are we not just Apparating back?"

"Ginny can't Apparate yet. We catching the bus."

Hermione glared at him, "This is no time for jokes, Harry."

Ron and Ginny laughed as Harry shook his head in despair. Hermione looked at them as if she didn't understand what was so funny. Ginny smiled benignly at her, trying to stem her laughter.

"The Knight Bus, Hermione."

Harry joined in their laughter as Hermione turned bright pink. He smiled down at Ginny, who looked up at him uncertainly.

"What happened to my wand?"

Harry gasped and let go of her hand. He bit his lip as he fumbled inside of his robes, finally pulling out her wand. "Sorry, we found it on that bloke in the dining hall. I'd forgotten all about it."

Ginny took it from him and held it gratefully in her hand. She never thought that she could miss one object so much. She turned to Ron, who was staring at the two of them in triumph. She rolled her eyes and held out her hand.

"Could you hand me my robes?"

He nodded and pulled them from his own, handing them to her and waiting as she pulled them on, wrapping herself in them and stowing her wand away safely. Hermione turned to them all in annoyance.

"Are you going to signal for the bus or not, Harry?"

He laughed and pulled out his wand, raising it in the air. Ginny stepped back in remembrance and blinked into the bright lights of the recently arriving Knight Bus. Hermione sighed in relief and walked up to join them all as they stood in a line to get on. Ginny turned to Harry.

"I don't have any gold, you know."

He smiled at her, "I'll pay, don't worry."

Interrupting them thoroughly came Stan Shunpike. Harry smiled up at him in awe. "They released you?"

Stan nodded and turned to them, "Money out, folks! We 'ave a small load tonight, but Ern's in a bit of a 'urry, you see."

Ginny smiled as Harry procured his gold, handing the gold to Stan. Ron fumbled in his robes and found the gold, giving it the eager conductor. Hermione handed hers over briskly, following the others inside of the large bus. Stan closed the door resolutely and followed them to the first floor.

"We all right?" he called to them, standing as tall as he possibly could. He smiled at Harry. "Glad to see you back, 'arry!"

Harry beamed, "Nice to see you too, Stan."

Stan nodded then returned to his business. "Now, you four can occupy the farthest beds down. It seems to me that you might need to talk about something or other." He pointed to the end of the bus, at the four most distant twin beds.

Ron and Harry nodded at him in unison, Hermione and Ginny already heading down to the beds. Ginny took the one nearest to the end, Hermione choosing the one across from her. Harry and Ron mimicked them, Ron next to Hermione and Harry next to Ginny.

Ginny sat on the edge of hers, Hermione the same. Ron lay on his stomach facing all of them, Harry on his side. Ginny had so much questions she wanted answered, but she didn't know where to start. She looked at Hermione expectantly, hoping that she would be able to give her an explanation without too much prodding on Ginny's part.

"Alright then," Ginny said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, "I think that you all owe me an explanation. I'm tired of being left out in the dark. I know you probably feel that it's none of my business, but after what I've been through . . . I deserve to know."

Harry sat up and stared at her regretfully, "It's all my fault, Ginny. I mean, I told them not to say anything to you. I didn't want you to be worried. If you're anything like me, and I think that you are, you would've been even more on edge if you knew."

Ginny shook her head and glared at him, "I'm not a child, Harry. I wish you would stop treating me like one."

Hermione jumped in, not wanting them to argue, "Look, it's not all his fault, no matter what he might say. Ron and I agreed that it would be best not to tell you. It might not seem fair to you, but I didn't think you could handle it. I can't help but think that we were all at fault for you being taken either."

Harry shook his head, "No, it was my fault. I knew that us being together was never a good idea . . ."

"Stop saying that!" Ginny snapped. The three of them jumped. "So what if Voldemort knows that you like me, Harry? He only singled me out because you made such a big deal out of it. Anyway, I was told that he thought I would be easiest to break. I'm pretty sure that was a lie, though."

"We aren't getting anywhere placing blame," Ron butted in, finally taking the opportunity to involve himself in the heated debate. "Do you want to know what we were doing or not?"

Ginny nodded, her slight anger dying down in favor of her eagerness to be filled in.

They proceeded to tell her everything. How Voldemort had split his soul into seven pieces, placing them in powerful and valuable magical objects and artifacts. Hermione explained that they had gone to see Harry at Sirius's former home to find a locket. Ginny gasped, remembering the heavy and impossible to open one that had been discarded. Harry smiled and told her that after weeks of searching, which had kept them from learning about her capture, they had finally found it. Hermione had discovered the whereabouts of another by searching through documents in one of the rooms of the house. Documents that had belonged to Sirius's brother, Regulus. All the time, the bus flew down streets, country scenery now flying by the windows.

"So you're saying that you'll be able to defeat him now?" Ginny breathed, still absorbing the new knowledge.

"It won't be easy," Hermione answered, "but we're setting off in a week to find the rest of the Horcruxes."

Harry shook his head, "No, _I'm_ setting off in a week."

Ron and Hermione both shook their heads, Ron retorting, "No, you're not going anywhere alone."

"This isn't the time," Ginny said evenly as the bus came to a stop. "We're already home."


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen_: **Apologies

* * *

**

They stepped off of the bus, the lights of the Burrow greeting them. Ginny squinted to the door to find six people running out, the twins leading the pack. She smiled slightly, happier than she had been in the past weeks. Finally, she was home.

Mrs. Weasley ran past the twins, rushing Ginny and pulling her into the warmest of hugs. Ginny laughed as her father took her, their grateful hugs the most loving thing she had known in a long time. The twins were cheering with Ron and Bill, who did a sort of dance around the group. Fleur pulled at the ends of her long blonde hair in relief, looking at Ginny with a guilty expression.

After a full round of hugs and cheers, the family made their way into the house. Ginny was sat down at the kitchen table and presented with the largest meal she had seen in her life. Her mother sat down next to her, handing her a fork and knife with a stern, but still soft in that motherly sort of way, look. The rest of the group settled around the kitchen, Bill and Fleur the only ones standing.

"You don't know how _horrible_ we feel," George said, looking at her with a slight worry, "I can't believe we just left you here."

Ginny shook her head, "Don't blame yourselves. I won't listen to it. Besides, enough talk of me! I want to know what happened to Tonks and Lupin."

The twins looked at each other uncertainly, then turned as Fleur began to speak. "Zey are fine. Zey were only stunned."

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness . . . What happened after I was knocked out?"

"I woke to find zee 'ouse empty. Lupin and Tonks were on the floor . . . eet was terrible." Bill squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

Ginny nodded. "I'm just glad that no one was killed."

Mrs. Weasley smiled, "You don't know how relieved we are that you're home. Yet, no more talk. You look so thin, dear. Eat up!"

Everyone laughed as Mrs. Weasley pushed the plate more insistently in front of Ginny. Ginny smiled and began to eat, slightly uncomfortable, but still thankful for the company. Being surrounded by so many people once again was a lot for her to get used to, but she knew that it was much better than only having one companion. No matter how much she enjoyed his company, it would never be able to compare to the feeling of close friends and family.

The night passed serenely. They all migrated into the large livingroom, sitting down with mugs of hot chocolate and bursting with things to tell Ginny. She didn't much enjoy the feeling of being the center attention, but she was getting used to it. She knew that in a few days things would be back to normal, so she supposed it wouldn't hurt to put up with it. With that thought in mind, she stopped insisting that they talk of other things.

Hermione tried to keep the talk away from her captor. For some reason, the trio had decided to keep it a secret. As much as the rest of the family pried, as much as Fleur tried to recall the face and voice of the boy who had broken in, no one confirmed any suspicions. Ginny finally had enough talk of the identity of her abductor and steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Augustin Black, eh?" Mr. Weasley's face took a dark tone, "I remember him from school."

Ginny cringed. The thought that the man who had tried, though unsuccessfully, to seduce her had gone to school with her parents was utterly revolting. He was more than old enough to be her father, and that was something she could not dwell on for too long.

"He was a great bully," her mother added. "Slytherin, of course, meaning he absolutely despised your father and I. It was absolutely ridiculous the way he kept the teachers onto him. A lot of us suspected he bribed his way out of trouble. I_ still_ wouldn't doubt it."

Ginny nodded gravely, "He seemed very full of himself. Said that his home was one of his greatest prides . . . he'd been married a lot, from what he told me."

Arthur nodded, "Yes, he married several times. I remember the Ministry receiving countless calls to check him out. All of his wives died mysteriously, you see. His last was a very wealthy model, Frieda Beaumont."

"How did she die?" Ginny probed.

Mr. Weasley scratched his head, then took a long sip from his mug before answering. "She was out in America doing a shoot of some sorts and came up missing. After two whole years of searching, they finally found one of her arms off the coast of California. They stopped after that. He got her whole estate and the custody of her daughter, Rebecca, who refused to say anything for or against either one of them."

"Was_ she _the one who helped us out?" Ron asked Ginny. She nodded at him. "She seemed very nice."

"Yes," Mr. Weasley nodded, "her mother wasn't the best person in the world. She herself had been a heavy gambler and spender. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't anyone in her family who reported her missing. It was her manager. We received several anonymous tips that she was having an affair, but they were all ignored."

"That makes sense, I suppose," Ginny said, hoping to end this discussion too. "I think that I'm ready for bed."

Hermione smiled and stood with her, as if she thought Ginny was expecting her to. Ginny shook her head. "No, you can stay if you'd like."

"Are you sure?"

Ginny nodded. She gave everyone hugs goodnight, leaving them all to talk and contemplate as much as they liked. She wasn't feeling up to talking about her experience any more that night. She was absolutely exhausted and worn out, wanting nothing more than to settle into a nice, deep sleep. As she made her way up the stairs, she heard someone following her. Waiting until she reached the landing to turn around, she saw Harry standing sheepishly on the steps.

"I just wanted to talk to you a bit. I mean, if you want to sleep, I'll go back down . . ." Ginny was slightly amused by his nervousness.

"It's fine . . . we can talk." She motioned for him to follow her to her room.

She entered, spotting her broom returned to its original place. The letter from Harry was sitting on her bedside dresser. She smiled to herself, knowing who had placed those things there. Harry walked in after her, looking around anxiously. Ginny sat down on her bed, patting it. He came and sat beside her, looking directly into her eyes.

"I know what you think of me now, Ginny."

"I can't help it . . . I just felt so lost," Ginny said with much more desperation than she had meant. She looked away.

She heard him sigh, "It's not that I don't care for you. I care about you more than anything right now . . .I just don't want to see you get hurt because of me. I think that I was right to assume that as well, seeing as what happened."

"I won't lie to you, Harry. Malfoy did say that Voldemort chose me because of how much you cared about me . . . but you have to realize that he could've just as easily chosen Ron or Hermione. I was just readily available. Voldemort's not going to hold a _personal_ vendetta against me just because you like me."

He reached out and took her hand, making her turn and look him in eyes once more. His face was gentle, but strong, just like she had always known it to be. "Ginny, I can't help but be worried about you more than Ron or Hermione. It has nothing to do with personal or moral strength. I'm a wreck without you, no matter what I lead you to believe."

"Why did you leave me here then? And I'm not talking about when Ron and Hermione left to search and rescue with you . . . you left me standing there like an idiot, Harry."

Harry clutched her hand tighter, "I couldn't say goodbye to you because being with you was killing me."

"That sounds awfully rehearsed," Ginny said.

He laughed slightly, "Was it that obvious?"

She shook her head and smiled, "I have an ear for these things."

They grinned at each other, relishing in the childish way they felt together. Ginny looked back at him hoping that he would say something a little more poignant. His smile vanished, the serious look returning once more.

"I really did miss you."

Ginny returned his serious look. "It goes without saying."

They sat there for a long time, just enjoying the feeling of being together. Ginny didn't think for a moment about anything, something that she hadn't been able to do for such along time. Harry was with her, he had told her the truth, and it hadn't killed her. What would tomorrow bring? She wasn't at all worried about that. In a moment, he leaned forward and kissed her softly. She kissed him back in the same gentle way, glad for the here and now of the sensation.

* * *

Two days later, the sun poured through the windows, the warmth of the light waking Ginny instantly. She sat up in her bed, peering out at the morning. The sun was high in the sky, meaning she had slept much later than she would have thought. Her sense of morning and night was off from not seeing the outside in so long. It still felt like night to her, like she should be asleep and dreaming. She turned to see Hermione coming into the room with a tray in hand.

Reminded forcibly of the small house elf that had brought her food and drink during her stay, Ginny frowned at her. Hermione set the tray down on the bed stand, then stood waiting to see if Ginny wanted anything.

"You can stop treating me like I need to cared for," Ginny said in the most polite way. "I wish you all would stop making me feel helpless . . ."

Hermione sighed and bit her lip, "We don't _mean_ to make you feel useless. You mother just told me to bring this to you . . . I don't want to upset you or anything."

Ginny shook her head, "It's fine, I suppose. I kind of want to eat downstairs though."

Hermione made a move to take the tray, but Ginny stopped her by grabbing it and standing. "You go ahead. I'll be down in a minute."

With a curious glance and shrug, Hermione turned and exited the room, leaving Ginny alone. Ginny sat the tray back down and went to the wardrobe, replacing her sleeping shorts with jeans. Picking up the tray once more, she made her way to the door. As she started out of the room, she stopped at the faint sound of scratching on her window.

Ginny spun around, promptly dropping the tray to the floor as she spotted a large eagle owl trying to make its way inside. Stepping over the mess, she quickly went and opened the window. The owl screeched and flew into the room, perching on top of her wardrobe. It looked down at her with wide curiosity as she motioned for it to come down.

After several minutes of coaxing, the owl finally flew down and perched on her bed post, lifting it's leg for her to retrieve a rather lengthy letter. As soon as it was relieved of this burdened, the owl screeched and hopped to the window, flying out with magnificent grace. Ginny turned back to the letter in her hands.

The green ribbon around it and the scribbled signature on the outside of the roll of parchment told her two things: it had been written in great haste and was from none other than Draco Malfoy.


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen_: **Reunion

* * *

**

Ginny unraveled the letter quickly, her hands shaking from the anxiety of the moment. With excitement, she scanned the letter, taking in every word.

**Ginny,**

_I just wanted to tell you that I'm fine. I know that you left under the best possible circumstances, but I still miss you. I had returned to my house, Snape was out when I came home. My mother, though weak in her condition, and I made our way to one of her distant cousins homes. We will be fine here, it's the last place anyone would suspect. I want to see you again. If it is at all possible, please send me back word as soon as you're able. To make sure it reaches me, all you have to do is wrap your letter in the green ribbon, as it is charmed so that it will reach us without spoken word or directions. I hope that you're well. More than that, I hope that you haven't forgotten about us._

**Draco**

Ginny stood in silence, staring at the letter. After reading it several more times, trying to sense the way that he felt when he wrote it, she finally rolled it back up. She opened one of her drawers on her bedside dresser, sticking it inside and closing it quickly. She opened the one below it and took out a roll of parchment, along with a quill.

Sitting down on her bed and writing as quickly as she possibly could, Ginny was amazed that she did not second guess herself once. The words fell from her mind onto the paper, reflecting every ounce of feeling within her. Stopping before she knew she would write too much, she surveyed her response one last time.

**Draco,**

_I'm doing fine, thank you. Everyone around here is doing their best to make me feel normal, but I think I'm only burdening them. Anyway, I'm very relieved to hear from you. I was frightened that for a moment you might have been caught. I hope that you are as safe as you think, because I'm not sure what I would do if I heard of you dying. If that sentence right there doesn't tell you that I haven't forgotten about us, I don't know what will. I care about you still, you'll never have to worry about that. It might be hard, but I would love to see you again. I can't imagine feeling the way that I do without being able to look at you ever. Have you heard word from Rebecca? She was very nice to us and I hope that she didn't get into any trouble on our behalf. She seemed a bit airy at first, but she can hold her own. At any rate, I still care about you and I still want to see you. Post back in a few days with a place you'd like to meet. I'll be fairly busy for a bit, and I know Mum won't let me out of her sight for at least a week. Hope to hear good things from you. By the way, nice idea with the ribbon. _

**Ginny**

Rolling the parchment up in satisfaction, she tied the green ribbon around it gently, making the bow as perfect as she possibly could. When that was up to her standards, she exited her room and made her way down the hall to Ron's room. He was sleeping, snoring louder than she thought any one human could. She looked at him briefly, but continued on. She found Pig snoozing in his cage, which she tapped lightly. He woke up and looked down at her with great interest, starting to hoot softly.

Ginny shushed him as quickly as she could, grabbing the cage and letting him out. He flew swiftly out and around her head until she finally caught him. Leaving the room in great haste, as not to wake Ron, she took him back to her room and attached her letter to his leg. He hooted happily at her, then flew out of the open window.

Without looking where she was going, Ginny walked to the doorway, promptly hitting someone and falling to the ground. Ginny looked up, her face hot with embarrassment, into the eyes of a very dazed looking Harry.

"Sorry," Harry said, leaning down to help her up. Ginny took his hand gratefully and stood. "Your mum just asked me to come get you."

Ginny smiled feebly, "Oh, alright. I just had to take care of something . . ."

Harry looked down at the floor next to her, the tray still smashed, all of its contents strewn near it. He smiled at Ginny and got out his wand, cleaning up the mess neatly.

"Who were you owling this early?" Harry asked casually, trying not to sound interested.

Ginny eyed him curiously. "Why do you care?"

He looked at her in mild shock. "Why shouldn't I?"

"I was just sending out for a new subscription to _Witch Weekly_," Ginny lied easily.

Harry smiled at her, "I can see why you wouldn't want me to know about that . . ."

Ginny laughed with him, punching him on the arm playfully. He rolled his eyes, still smiling, and motioned for her to follow him downstairs. With one last sigh and glance at the open window in her room, Ginny turned back and followed him.

* * *

It had only been two days and she was already feeling the thrill of being at home subside. She was starting to feel anxious, ready for Draco's reply. Now, Ginny sat on the ground under a tree, bundled up in her winter clothes as the rest of the teens waged a fierce snow-ball battle. It had snowed all morning, and now they were all finally able to enjoy. Ginny wasn't feeling up to any sort of winter-time merriment, so she sat out and watched instead.

Fred was by far the most skilled of the group, lobbing the biggest and most well-aimed balls of frost. George was clumsier than Ginny would have thought. Normally, he seemed to do well. She attributed this to her not participating. Everything looked different to her when she wasn't joining in. Harry playfully tossed a bit of dusty snow at her, laughing as she brushed it off and stood up. Ron and Hermione were playing against each other, though there was far too much flirting going on for any real sort of action to happen.

"I think I'm going to go inside," Ginny announced as everyone started to settle down.

Harry ran up to her, eager to follow. "It is a bit cold out here."

Ginny smiled at him. She wasn't used to seeing Harry so eager to please. Something inside of her told her not to be fooled by it. To her, it was probably just the shock of seeing her after such a long time, and under such extreme circumstances, that led him to want to be with her every moment of the day. The looks he had been giving her made her want to believe that he had been feeling this way all along, but she couldn't help but remember the way he had left her for so long. It was too easy for her to go from one extreme to the other, so she decided to stop reading into it altogether.

"I'll be back out in a moment," Ginny told him. She didn't want him following her now.

As expected, he agreed, but reluctantly so. Harry shrugged and rejoined the group, who had gone back to the task at hand. Hermione shot Ginny a shocked look, but Ginny ignored her. Heading inside before any more distractions could arise, Ginny made her way quickly to her room. As expected, the large eagle owl was perched on a post of her bedframe, eyeing her with impatience.

"Alright, alright . . ." Ginny muttered, relieving it of the letter it was carrying.

To her shock and dismay, the letter was rather short. Not short enough for her to be worried, but short enough so that she was disappointed. She read it quickly.

**Ginny,**

_Sounds like it'll be worth the risk then. My mother is in great condition now, so it'll be fine for_ _me to leave her for a bit. I've been thinking that it would be best for me to do the traveling. I'll meet you about a mile away from your house. I've written up short directions for you. I'll see you there tonight. _

**Draco

* * *

**

The night fell as Ginny set out to find Draco. She told Hermione that she would be back in a few hours, and if anyone asked, that she was upstairs asleep. Even though she had insisted that she would not lie for Ginny, both of them knew she would never say anything. Luckily, Harry and Ron had been immersed in a game of chess and hadn't noticed Ginny slipping out the front door. Bill and Fleur had taken Mr. & Mrs. Weasley out for the night, leaving Fred and George in charge. Ginny found it very easy to get past them, as they were charting sales in the kitchen, both frustrated beyond belief at how much work it was proving to be.

Ginny crossed the yard, heading out into the woods. The area around their house wasn't thickly wooded, so her path was illuminated by the moon nonetheless. A small trail led to where she was supposed to meet Draco, and as soon as she found it, her heart began to beat faster. She was nervous, excited, scared, and happy all at the same time. Guilt, which usually filled her whenever she thought about him, was farthest from her mind at this time. Perhaps that was an omen. If it was, it was one that Ginny was simply choosing to ignore.

As the night fell even more, Ginny finally found the spot he had told her to be at. She sat down in a thicker patch of trees, pulling her cloak about herself. The snow hadn't fallen so thickly in this area, but it was still a bitter and cold place to be. It was taking him so long. Maybe something had happened with his mother and he wasn't able to leave. Maybe he had been caught. Ginny shivered at this thought.

Just when she was about to let her dark thoughts take hold of her, she heard the familiar _crack_ of someone Apparating. Ginny stood, looking through the darkness for Draco. She jumped slightly when she felt someone's hand on her back, then turned around to face him.

He looked much better than he had before. Though his skin was pale, it no longer made him look sickly and withered. No dark circles underneath his eyes, and he was even looking as if he was eating. Ginny leaned into his chest as he pulled her close, his body much warmer than it had been before. She didn't know if it was the relief of being free and his mother's healthy condition that made Draco so much stronger now, but it was something she was happy for nonetheless.

"I miss you so much," Ginny whispered, looking up at him.

Draco smiled back down at her, "I missed you, too."

"You seem different," she couldn't help but say.

He shrugged, smirking a bit, "Would you rather I remained a sickly little slave?"

Ginny shook her head, "I don't mean that, I just mean that you seem happier. You've changed."

"Well, I hope that you mean that in a kind way, because I feel like I have changed. Only, it's in a good way. I was tired of feeling sorry for myself."

Though she wished to remain that close to him for much longer, Ginny resisted the urge to stay attached to him. Stepping out of the hug, she smiled at Draco.

"So, you say your mother's well?"

Draco nodded, "Yes, she told me that Snape had been nothing but kind to her, and that was why she recovered. He had given her a potion before I took her that took a while to take effect. She's up and about now."

"That's great, Draco."

She stared at him, feeling horrible at the fact that she didn't have much to say to him. She'd feel silly telling him about her week, since it had been nothing short of horrendously normal. Draco seemed to sense this, as he stepped close to her once more.

"It's alright. You don't have to say anything, Ginny."

With those words, he brought his face close to hers, leaning down and kissing her. His kiss was deep and filled with want and desire. Ginny couldn't help but let herself get caught up in it. It was a much different kiss than the one they had shared before, its awkward end and shortness nothing compared to the depth and surge of feeling that this kiss contained. Draco pulled her as close to him as possible, his next kiss softer, but still much more meaningful than any she had ever had. His kiss was nothing like the one she had shared with Harry the night she had returned. Draco's held a harsh, but passionate opening, while Harry's kiss was a softer and gentler one, ending with a light finality.

Ginny drew back from him as this thought entered her head. She couldn't forever be comparing one man to the other. Harry was who he was and it wasn't fair to compare him to Draco. She looked into the stone gray eyes of her newest obsession. Draco looked back, though his eyes withheld any sort of feeling she could determine.

"You seem a little . . ." Draco started to say, then stopped.

"What?"

He shook his head, "It's nothing. I don't want to talk about anything bad tonight. You have to tell me what you've been up to, and what nasty things your brother and Potter have been saying about me."

Ginny smiled, "You do get right to the point, don't you?"

"Always."


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter Sixteen_:** Rise

* * *

**

Ginny closed her eyes, laying against him. They had talked for hours, and now she was starting to get sleepy. Draco held her softly, talking idly still. The sound of his voice was coaxing her into drowsiness, but she knew that she couldn't afford to pass out up here with him. Anyone could have found them, and she wasn't prepared for that scene. Both of them dressed in cloaks, Draco's wand lighting up the patch of trees like a lantern, and not to mention the closeness they were in.

"You don't think that you should be heading in yet?" Draco asked, stroking her arm gently.

Ginny shook her head, "No, everyone expects I'm asleep anyway. Hermione's vouching for me."

Draco rolled his eyes, "You actually trust she won't tell anyone?"

"If I don't stay out too long, she won't."

As if someone knew what they were talking about, Ginny jumped when she heard voices approaching. Draco stiffened against her, his body wooden. Turning around to face him wide-eyed, Ginny motioned for him to disappear behind the trees. They weren't fast enough.

"Wait back there, I think I see something!" Hermione said impatiently. She entered the area quickly, then stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two of them.

"Hermione, don't you say a word," Ginny warned, standing. Hermione simply stared at her. "There's nothing wrong, I promise."

She wasn't listening. "What is going on here? Ginny, please just tell me what's happening here, because I can't even begin to formulate anything at all to explain this and I just really want to know. I found your letter and came up here to find you, but Harry and Ron wanted to come too, and I had to lie for you already, but I can't do it anymore and---"

Her words came out so fast that Ginny had to shake her to make her stop talking. "Hermione, quit. Look, don't say anything to them, please. I want to explain this to you, but I can't do it if I think you're going to run off and tell Harry. You know that would be more hell than either of us could deal with right now."

Hermione nodded dully, then looked over Ginny's shoulder at Draco. "But, Ginny . . . it doesn't make sense to me at all. This is so _odd_. I mean, it's . . ."

Ginny smiled feebly, "If you thought about it for a minute, it _really_ makes a bit of sense."

"You are stupid, Ginny. Plain and simple," Hermione said bitterly, but with a tone of awe.

They didn't have time to argue anymore, as more footsteps were approaching. Ginny turned and looked at Draco urgently, "Hide yourself! Are you daft?"

As the leaves rustled, two figures entering as one hid among the brambles, Ginny gave Hermione one last pleading look.

"Thank goodness," Harry said, looking at Ginny. "Hermione said you went out for a walk."

Ginny sighed, "Yeah, I got a bit tired and came here to rest. I must've fallen asleep."

Ron looked at Hermione in exasperation. "You had us combing the whole wood!"

Hermione started to protest, but Ginny shook her head firmly. Hermione looked down at the ground and mumbled quietly, "Sorry . . . I must have overreacted . . ."

Her quiet reply softened Ron a bit. He walked over to her and patted her on the shoulder. "It's alright. With everything going on lately, it's only expected that we freak out over little things like this."

Harry sighed now, looking at Ginny, "Well, are you ready to go back then?"

She and Hermione exchanged an openly meaningful glance. Hermione nodded while Ginny strongly shook her head no. Ron looked at Ginny oddly.

"What was _that_ all about then, eh?" He asked suspiciously.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him, "Like you and Harry don't pull the same thing at every small decision that has to be made . . . Anyway, I want to talk to Hermione for a bit longer."

Hermione bit her lip, looking at Ron innocently, "I think that she's right. You two should head back. If the twins ask, we're on our way back."

Harry walked over to Ginny, putting a hand on her shoulder, "You sure you don't want us to stay?"

She nodded. "We won't be long, I promise."

He looked her face over, as if trying to read her better. Ginny avoided his eyes and stepped away from his hand. Ron gave Hermione a hug and motioned for Harry to come with him. With a somewhat disappointed glance, Harry turned away from Ginny and exited the clearing with Ron. Hermione immediately spun to round on Ginny.

"_What are you thinking_!"

Ginny was shocked. "Hermione, things have changed!"

The bushes rustled as Draco came back, dusting off his cloak and looking at Hermione defensively. Ginny pulled him to where they were all standing in a circle. Hermione tapped her foot impatiently, refusing to look directly at Draco. She continued her attack on Ginny, ignoring their other companion as much as she could.

"So, you expect me to ignore that whole _kidnapping _fiasco?" She yelled. "I can't believe you would think that this is acceptable! Not only does it make no sense whatsoever, it also goes against everything we've ever done!"

Ginny glared at her, "I only showed the animosity that I did to Draco because of what his father did to mine. And besides, any other hatred I had for him stemmed mainly from what you, Ron, and Harry always told me! I was on the defensive, Hermione. I stood up for you all, just because I didn't know Draco!"

"Ginny, do you really think that we would hold a grudge against someone who didn't deserve it?" Hermione said with slight calm, as if to press the importance upon Ginny.

"I know you wouldn't just hate someone out of the blue," she replied, "but that's not to say that both sides took it a bit far."

Draco started to say something, but Hermione sent him an icy stare, stopping him in his tracks. She moved in to retort. "Sure, we are a bit harsh to each other, but you already know why! There are any number of things that caused it, and I'm starting to get angry that you would even think we would treat someone terribly if we didn't have cause!"

"Ha!" Ginny shouted, "So you do admit that you treat him terribly!"

Hermione sighed heavily, "Yes, I suppose that we do. But you can't honestly stick up for him, Ginny. He's treated you just as badly."

Ginny looked at Draco softly, then back to Hermione. "He's made up for that. And besides, I'm above it now."

"Well," Hermione began sarcastically, "I wish that we all had your _maturity_."

"Look," Draco said finally, "I can't _really _ever take back what I've done to any of you, but I can move on. Sure, I'm evil in a standard sort of way, but even evil people grow up. Can't we bypass all of that sappy '_I take it back_, _I never meant what I said_, _etc_.' and just forget about it?"

Ginny could tell that Hermione was trying her best not to blow up at him. "You are right, in some barbaric way, I suppose, but I'm not going to be the one to tell Ron or Harry any of this. And before we right this whole thing off, I can't just forget about you nearly killing three of our friends."

Draco waved his hand impatiently, "I can't very well apologize for something like that, but I suppose I can tell you that I _regret_ having to go to that sort of extreme."

"Alright then, I should know that was the best I could get out of you."

Ginny smiled softly, then turned to Draco, "You had better go now. I promise I'll get around to talking to Ron and Harry."

Hermione looked at Ginny, "Does this mean you two have some sort of relationship going on?"

Draco shrugged, "Maybe."

Hermione gasped, "Ginny!"

"What?"

"I can't believe this! What about Harry! You two have been awfully close lately. How are you going to explain something like that to him?" Her cheeks were turning pink.

Ginny's voice became cold, "He should have thought about that before he went off and ignored me."

Hermione had nothing more to say. Ginny sighed and turned back to Draco, "So, write me soon, and I'll keep you in on what's happening. We might have to hold off on meeting for a little bit. I knew it was too soon . . ."

Draco pulled Ginny into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Things will work out in the end, I promise."

He let go of her and turned to get ready to Apparate back to his home. Hermione stopped him by raising a hand, signaling that she had something more to say.

"You can't call me Mudblood any more, Malfoy."

He laughed, "Well, then I suppose that means we're on a first-name basis . . . Hermione."

She sighed heavily, keeping herself from yelling once more. "Goodbye, _Draco._"


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter Seventeen_: **Choices

* * *

**

Ginny walked slowly down the stairs, her head hurting immensely due to lack of sleep. After returning quietly, shocked to find that the twins didn't even know about the whole thing, she and Hermione talked a little more about the situation. While Hermione agreed that the way Draco had stood up for her and made an effort to become something else, she still told Ginny that it would be just as easy for him to backslide. This wasn't something Ginny wanted to think about, but she knew that Hermione was right.

Harry and Ron were already asleep when they had some back. Ginny wanted to talk to Harry, but she didn't have enough confidence to wake him up to do so. She didn't want to make the moment happen, she wanted to simply be there when the time was right. After hours of talking to Hermione about the impending love triangle, they both came to an agreement that Harry was the better choice, though both of them knew that just because he was better didn't always mean that he was to be chosen.

So the next morning came quicker than either of them had expected. Hermione remained upstairs, wanting to sleep more than to face the day. Ginny had no ability to sleep now, not with all of her thoughts swimming through her head. She walked quietly into the kitchen, a drowsy Mrs. Weasley preparing breakfast. She took one look at Ginny and went for the coffee, fixing her a cup in great haste and handing it to her gently. Ginny smiled and sat down next to Bill.

"Where's Fleur?" Ginny asked him after taking a long sip of her warm coffee.

Bill sighed, "She's out for today. Went shopping with her family."

Ginny nodded. She looked back at her mother. "Is dad out as well?"

She shook her head, "No, your father got home last night to a letter from another member of the Order, and went off to guard duty. I expect he'll be home sometime around lunch."

"Poor dad," Ginny said quietly. Bill nodded in agreement as Ginny continued, "That's about the third time this week then . . ."

Molly shrugged, "Well, it's been quite hectic for the whole Order. People are disappearing left and right . . . it's mayhem."

"Did they ever find Kingsley?" Bill asked.

"Oh, yes, they found him yesterday. He was being taken care of by some nice Muggle family. Some of his memory was tampered with, but he's fine now."

Ginny sipped her coffee more as two more figures came into the kitchen. Harry smiled at Ginny, sitting down next to her. Ron yawned greatly, scratching his stomach as he walked around the table to take a seat as well.

"It's still a bit of time before breakfast will be ready," Mrs. Weasley informed them. "You two should go and get the twins up for me. Is Hermione still sleeping, Ginny?"

Ginny nodded, "We had a bit of a late night last night. Lots to talk about . . ."

Mrs. Weasley smiled, "She can sleep in then, I think."

Ron stood up, heading slowly back up the stairs. Harry remained seated. "I think I'll let him handle that by himself."

Ginny smiled and returned to her coffee once more. She never really liked the stuff, but it kept her from slumping and hitting her head on the table out of exhaustion. Bill stretched his arms out, yawning greatly before standing up. Mrs. Weasley beamed at him as he came over to aid in her breakfast preparation. Ginny stayed in her place.

"Did you get any sleep?" Harry asked Ginny, looking over her face.

"No, not last night. I'll be fine though," Ginny added, seeing his face go from calm to worried. "You'd be amazed at how little sleep a person really needs."

A loud boom was heard and yelling followed. Harry smiled at Ginny, "I think the twins are up."

Laughing, they watched the entrance to the kitchen as footsteps could be heard running down the hall and to the stairs. A frightened Ron stumbled into the kitchen, his face slightly blackened and the edge of his pajama shirt singed. Mrs. Weasley shook her head, obviously not wanting to know what happened. Just as Ron sat down across from Harry, more footsteps raced down the stairs, Fred and George coming to stand in the doorway, in similar states as Ron.

"Sorry," George began, "Fred left one of our test items in the doorway again."

Ron glared at the two of them, but Ginny could see him shaking from fear still. Harry joined in Mrs. Weasley's head-shaking, chuckling softly to himself.

* * *

The radio was turned on softly as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat talking quietly with Lupin and Tonks. Ginny and Hermione, along with Harry, were the only ones left in the room at this time. It was late into the night, a few days after Ginny had last seen Draco, and Lupin had stopped in for a visit. Ginny was glad to see the both of them in such good health, but it seemed they were much happier to see her. Tonks still couldn't stop grinning at Ginny, who she went on and on to about how horrible she had felt after the whole incident. Ginny was thankful that Lupin knew not to make as big of a deal about it.

Hermione was nodding off as Ginny listened intently to the conversation. She could see Harry watching her out of the corner of her eye and she tried not to let herself feel self-conscious as she continued to listen to the adults. They had been talking all night about the Order, and it was the only link to the action any of them had for quite some time. The conversation lately had been a little more hushed, so she had to strain herself to hear them. Finally, they all turned back to the three younger inhabitants of the room.

"You," Lupin appealed to Harry, "what's this I've been hearing about you taking Ron and Hermione off again?"

Harry looked shocked, "How'd you hear that?"

He smiled warmly at Harry, "That's not important. Still, I don't think it's a very good idea."

Hermione was wide awake now, watching Harry in fear. She turned to Lupin, "Why not?"

"That much should be fairly obvious," Lupin said. "That's part of the reason we stopped in."

"Really?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow.

Lupin nodded, "Yes. Tonks and I think it would be best if we accompanied you instead."

"That would be quite nice," Mrs. Weasley said, "I know he's too stubborn to stay out of it, but I really never liked the thought of the three of you going off alone. Besides, Tonks and Lupin will be able to show you around much better."

Harry looked at Hermione, who looked slightly offended. "I think I agree, Hermione. You know that I wasn't really comfortable with putting you two in danger in the first place."

"I know that," Hermione said waspishly. She sighed, "Ron will be devastated."

"Yeah, but he'll just have to get over it. I think that they are absolutely right." Harry turned to Lupin, "I was going to head out tomorrow . . ."

He nodded, "That will be perfect. We can stay the night here, I suppose. If that's alright with Molly and Arthur, of course."

Mr. Weasley nodded, "You are always welcome here, Remus."

Lupin nodded, "If we're heading out in the morning, I think it would be best for me to get some rest now. I'm a bit spent."

Tonks stood up with him, "I'm a bit tired, too."

Molly smiled softly, shaking her head in slight disapproval. "You two can stay in Percy's room, it's about halfway down the hall, I'm sure you'll be able to find it."

They both nodded, going to the stairs. Lupin let Tonks get on first before following her up. Ginny smiled at his small act of chivalry, it being far too sincere for her to ignore. Hermione yawned heavily and stood.

"I think I'll be heading to bed too. I'm completely exhausted." She leaned down to hug Harry, "In case I'm not up in time to see you off."

She said goodnight to the rest of the group, finally turning and heading up the stairs. Ginny's parents stood now also, as if the sleepiness was contagious, and said their goodnights and goodbyes. As they too went up the stairs, Ginny sighed. Being alone with Harry so much was starting to become more than a coincidence in her eyes. She knew that something must be about to happen.

Harry was now watching her again, looking slightly expectant. The same smile it seemed that he had been wearing ever since she had returned was now plastered on his face, but this time she could see a bit of anxiety etched into his features.

She turned to him curiously. "What?"

He looked down at the floor nervously, then back to her. "I have something to ask you."

"Something to ask me?" Ginny repeated, now more confused than anything.

"Well, you know how I said that I couldn't be committed to you fully because of Voldemort and everything?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes, and I also remember how silly I thought it all was."

"You did?"

"Not at the time, no," Ginny said. She waved her hand dismissively and scooted closer to him, eager to hear what he had to say, "Forget it, just keep going."

Harry smiled, "I never really told you, but I was more worried about getting your hopes up for my survival. I didn't want to stay with you because I knew that it would make it worse for you if I died."

"That's stupid, Harry," Ginny said softly, "I'd be devastated either way . . ."

"That's what I finally realized," Harry said enthusiastically. "I mean, it's better if we are together. That's how my Mum and dad made it through. Together, you know, they did everything that way. They had each other . . ."

Ginny looked at him, feeling very much that his anxiety had just been transferred to her. "You don't mean . . ."

He nodded. "Ginny, I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"Harry, you can't mean . . ."

Ginny gasped as Harry took her hand, looking deep into her eyes. "Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?"


	18. Chapter 18

_Chapter Eighteen_: **Worry

* * *

**

Ginny sat in disbelief, staring at Harry in shock. His face was turning red, and Ginny would have found this funny if she had not been completely stunned into silence. He squeezed her hand slightly, making sure that she was still with him.

"Well?" He asked shakily.

"Harry, we're so young."

He sighed, "I know. I just think that it'll be better if we make up our minds now. Besides, you wanted a commitment, didn't you?"

"Yes, Harry, I do, but . . . it's so _soon_."

He looked very disappointed now. "Oh . . . well, if you think that---"

"No, I'm not saying no, Harry. It's just . . . what would my parents think? I mean, it's such a big step for both of us, and I'm still only sixteen."

"I talked to them," he said quietly. "Ron suggested that I do and I asked them what they thought about it."

Ginny felt herself blush, "What did they say?"

"Your dad was fine with it right away, but your Mum had a few problems."

"Like what?" Ginny asked interestedly.

Harry sighed, "Well, she was mainly concerned that you might get worried about me being gone so much, and also that neither of us have finished school yet. She doesn't want us to end up poor and homeless, even though that's highly unlikely with all of the housing opportunities that are available to me."

"That's understandable," Ginny said softly.

"Yes, and I told her," he went on, "I told her that it wouldn't matter about any of that, because we'd be together, even when I was gone. It seemed very silly at the time, and it still does, but your mother must have liked what I said."

"Why do you think that?"

Harry bit his lip, "She started crying and wouldn't stop hugging me until your dad finally pried her off."

Ginny smiled. The approval of her parents, who had fussed so much over Bill and Fleur, as well as any other relationship that had ever come to their attention, made the thought of it appealing to her. After all, Ginny was her parent's only daughter, and that was always something that was used against her. She wasn't allowed the same things, she wasn't given the same attention, and she definitely wasn't allowed to make any sort of life-changing decisions. Not unless she was prepared to raise a veritable and highly well-thought out argument against those of her parents.

It certainly hadn't taken much to convince them, though. Maybe they weren't so hard on her since she was the one being asked, not the one doing the asking. The nobility of Harry coming to them for a blessing must have earned him major points, as well as the fact that they had known him so well over the years. With a slight embarrassment, she remembered how often she spoke of him before she finally came to her senses. She sighed greatly and looked Harry in his eyes once more. She could see fear mixed in the green, as well as that all too noticeable look of hope.

"As much as it might agitate you, and I know that it will," Ginny began slowly, "I have to think about this more. There's a lot of things I have to consider. It might not seem like that much to you, but . . ."

Harry pulled her into a hug, "It's alright, you don't have to explain anything to me. I'll give you time if that's what you want."

As she rested her head on his shoulder, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. This wasn't what she needed, and she knew it. Unfortunately, she couldn't help but think that she was better off just saying yes. The pain she might be causing him was only an added torture to the despair she knew would come when she finally sat down to make a decision.

* * *

Ginny was awoken early the next morning by the sound of footsteps in her room. She sat up instantly, the soft but still audible sound bringing her to full awareness immediately. Her body eased as she saw Harry standing a foot away from her bed, dressed in a long cloak and looking at her nervously.

"Just wanted to tell you goodbye," Harry said, stepping to her bed. "We're heading out in a few minutes and I wanted to talk to you first."

Ginny climbed out of her bed and wrapped her arms around him. She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to hold him, to be held by him. She wasn't ready for him to go yet. Tomorrow, today, she didn't want to face anything yet. His arms wrapped around her tightly, and she could have sworn he was just as scared as she was. Ginny looked up into his face, hoping to see a strong hero, someone that would and could ease all of her anxiety with just one noble stare. Instead, she saw a frightened seventeen year old. She saw herself reflected in those wide green eyes, and it made her feel even worse.

"I'm scared Ginny," Harry said quietly, "but I don't want you to be worried about me."

She shook her head slightly, "I'm not worried about you, Harry. I'm just being selfish."

He smiled down at her, "I don't suppose you've made up your mind yet?"

"Not just yet . . ." Ginny said quietly, trying to mask her sadness by looking down.

Harry put his hand to her chin, lifting her face back up to look at him. "Will you at least wait for me?"

"_What else would I do?"_ Ginny tried to say. She couldn't find the energy to tell such a lie. She only held his glance, hoping that the gesture would keep him from asking her again. Harry smiled down at her as she made her face mimic his.

She heard him gulp. "I should get going."

Ginny bit her lip. "I don't want you to."

"I have to."

Slowly he brought his face to hers, kissing her more passionately than he ever had. Ginny kissed him back, wanting to cry from the strain this was all putting on her. Just as she tried to pull away, Harry pulled her back into the kiss, determined to have a moment to remember. Slowly and with a soft conclusiveness, he ended it, keeping his face close to hers. Ginny smiled at him faintly.

_You shouldn't be leaving me now_, Ginny thought. _You don't know what you're doing._ To break them apart now was like prepping the eventual bomb that would blow them from each other once and for all. Draco flitted once more into her mind as she looked at Harry, but she forced the other out of her head for now. It was her time with Harry. Her last little bit of time for a while. And it seemed to be ending far too fast for her liking. If only she could convince him to stay, if only she could convince herself to just let him go.

"I love you, Ginny." Harry said finally, his face still close to hers.

She looked down, "I love you too, Harry."

They kissed once more before Harry finally told his final goodbye, leaving her standing there drained. She heard a slightly commotion start downstairs as his footsteps stopped their descent, but she didn't want to go down there until after he was really and truly gone. She was sure that everyone in the house knew about what Harry had asked her the night before, and she knew that it wasn't the time to face them yet. Hermione had tried to talk to her last night, but Ginny told her that she was tired and needed her sleep.

Ginny went back to her bed, leaning over the side to get out parchment and a quill. Pulling her knees a bit closer to her, she began to write the letter that she knew she should have immediately after the news she received last night. When at last she was done, she looked it over to make sure that she had said everything she had set out to.

**Draco,**

_I don't know where to begin with this, but I knew instantly that I had to tell you. I don't think you'll react favorably to this news, but you have to know either way. Harry had asked me to marry him. I'm pretty sure that it's his way of trying to make up for what he thinks he did to me this summer, and I kind of feel guilty for wanting to go through with it. I know that I told you I cared for you and all of that, but you have to agree that this is what's expected of me. I think it's what's been expected of me since I first started to show an interest in Harry. I know that you might feel betrayed when you read this, but you shouldn't. I'm still thinking about it. And it might interest you to know that you're really the thought that's weighing most heavily on my mind. I just want this all to be over with soon, because dragging it out will only make it harder for you, me, and Harry. I have to go now, though. I'm sure that my mother will think something's up if I'm not down in time for breakfast. You don't need to worry about anything yet. I'm giving myself at least a week. No less, and hopefully not any more. _

**Ginny

* * *

**

Hermione and Ron sat in front of Ginny in the kitchen, both shocked. Ginny tried not to get impatient, but it was becoming harder and harder for her to explain herself to them. They had far too many questions. Of course, Ginny knew that Hermione could already tell what was wrong, but they both knew that Ron hadn't a clue.

"Why would you tell him you had to think about it? What is it with you girls and _thinking_ about things?" Ron asked, not realizing what he was saying.

Hermione laughed, "Sorry, Ron. We know you don't have a lot of experience thinking things through."

Ron turned red. "That's not what I meant! And either way, Gin, you must be crazy! This is something I'll bet you've dreamt of since you met him!"

Even thought it was one of the most embarrassing things he could have said to her, Ginny didn't blush. She knew that he was right, but she also knew that dreams were much easier than the real thing. Harry wasn't in the sort of present danger he is now when she had dreamt of being married to him. He wasn't on his way to defeat Voldemort, a stunt that could end up getting him killed. She sighed and shrugged.

"You can't understand, Ron. It's a lot for me to chew over," Ginny said, having a feeling that those words were all that she _had _been saying all along, just in a different way each time.

"I think that it's a very clear decision for you to make," Hermione said, more meaning in her voice. "You've known Harry, you can trust Harry. He had never wronged you, and you know it!"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "It's not a matter of trust, Hermione. I know that I can trust him. I just don't know if I'll be able to cope with that sort of strain. How am I supposed to deal with being a stay-at-home wife while my husband is out trying to defeat _Voldemort_?"

Hermione slapped Ron on the arm lightly as he flinched. "Stop that!" She turned back to Ginny. "Sure, you don't think you can handle it, but you know that we are all here for you. If things get bad, you have people to fall back on!"

Ginny was ever shaking her head. "I _know_ that I have that! You don't need to keep reminding me! I don't know what you two are trying to accomplish, but you have to realize that I need to think about this for myself. I hate sounding like I'm only seeing the negative, just because I have to contradict what you two are saying to me. I see the positives! I've been going over them in my mind ever since Harry asked me. Just let it go for now. You don't have to worry about him either. I'm not going to keep him waiting. I never planned on it."

Ron shook his head and stood, "If she doesn't want us to meddle, I think that we should listen."

"Alright," Hermione said, finally conceding. She stood up with Ron. "We have to get outside soon anyway. Your mother wanted help in the garden. She said that it needed to be done before she went out on duty tonight."

Ginny nodded, "Tell her that I'll be out in a few."

The two left the kitchen, Ginny remaining in her chair. They were right about it all, but she wasn't ready to give in yet. She couldn't get Draco out of her mind. Those thoughts were really the only things that kept her from wanting to run after Harry, screaming her agreement happily and hopefully.


	19. Chapter 19

_Chapter Nineteen_: **Found **

**

* * *

**

The steps creaked as Ginny made her way up to her room. For three days all she had done was clean, help cook, and spend her nights staring at the ceiling in deep thought. Hermione had given up talking about it, and even Ron was getting tired of arguing with Ginny about it all. Secretly, she only made it hard on them for that reason. If she was going to deny Harry, or even accept him, it was going to be of her own influence. She wasn't going to let someone else lead her down a path she couldn't take.

The rest of the household was awake and about. Mr. Weasley was at the Ministry, yet another late night ahead of him. Fleur was gone for the night on duty, leaving Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and the twins to watch over the house. For now, the twins were leaving the shop closed. They wanted to wait until December to return, the time when they would get the most business anyway. Ron and Hermione were downstairs with them all, keeping the adults company.

Ginny wasn't in the mood to sit with family. She wanted to be alone, and it was rare lately for her to be allowed that solitude. So, she took the opportunity and went into her room.

"Don't scream," A voice said.

Ginny froze. "Why did you come here _now_?"

Draco walked up to her, serious as he could be. He looked into Ginny's eyes, his own clear and all for her. "There was no way that I could stay away after that letter."

She had suddenly wished she hadn't told him. She should have known something was up when he didn't write her back. Now she'd have a harder time than ever, with him here trying to talk her into staying with him. It would be impossible to choose with that kind of distraction. Another thought popped into her mind.

"You can't be in here, Draco. It's too dangerous."

He raised an eyebrow, "You didn't tell them."

"No . . ." She looked down out of guilt.

"_Ginny_!" Draco hissed. "The way you wrote in that letter made me think that they knew! God, now I'm out here and . . . they'll kill me if they find me here."

Ginny turned around, pushing her door closed and turning back to him. "Well, I suppose that means you can't stay long."

"I know that _now_."

Ginny rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed sitting down and looking at him. He came and joined her, taking one of her hands and looking back into her eyes once more. She knew what he was thinking. If he were to convince her, he'd have to come on strong and fast. She was regretting writing that letter more and more with each passing moment.

"I'm an asshole," Draco began, "which I can see leading you to choose Potter. Of course, there's also how long you've known him, how everyone around you knows that you've wanted him, and how no one would be able to understand or accept the thought of us. Have I covered everything?"

Ginny laughed, "You are crazy."

He shook his head impatiently, "I'm trying my best to be serious here, and you aren't making it any easier."

"You shouldn't choose such a ridiculous way to do it. And besides," Ginny smiled at him coyly, "never begin an argument by insulting yourself."

Draco sighed, "So, is that what it is?"

She nodded, "In the simplest terms, I suppose."

"Alright then, so I guess that I must resort to presenting you with a reason why my faults should not weigh against me." He smiled at her.

Ginny sat waiting for him to speak for a whole minute before finally giving him a curious look. "Well?"

He smiled wider, then pulled her close, kissing her deeply. She laughed into his mouth, causing him to laugh too. They broke apart, then Draco came back at her, kissing her again. She didn't laugh this time. As they enjoyed the moment, Ginny blocked out all else. That was until she was _forced_ to avert her attention from him.

The door opened, then a deep yell filled the room. Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she jumped back immediately, standing up and gaping at the new occupant of the room. Ron stood on the spot, spluttering and shaking his head. He made a move to turn and run, but Ginny was not going to let him leave the room. She knew her brother well enough to know that he would make the biggest deal possible out of this situation, and she didn't want to have to explain to the rest of the house why she was upstairs in her room kissing Draco Malfoy. Thus, she sprinted at top speed and lunged at him, tackling him to the floor.

"Get–off–of– _ME_!" Ron yelled, struggling against Ginny.

"NO!" She yelled back, "You're not going anywhere! I know what you'll do! I'm not going to let you overreact!"

Ron laughed bitterly, still trying to break free, "_I'll_ overreact! _What the hell do you call yourself doing right now?_"

Ginny punched him in the arm hard, making him wince. "Shut up, Ronald!"

Grabbing his arms and pinning them to his back, Ginny exhibited the strength she had gained from Quidditch training by hoisting him up and holding him tightly. She couldn't keep him pinned for very long though, so she motioned to Draco to close and lock the door. As he did so, Ron finally broke free, then ran from Ginny and began pounding on the door as hard as he could. Ginny punched him in the arm again.

"Stop that!" She hissed.

Ron leaned against the door, facing them. His eyes darted between the two other occupants of the room. Ginny rolled her eyes and went over to Draco, telling him to sit on the bed and not to say a word. He followed her instructions as she walked back over to Ron, taking his hand and leading him closer to the bed than he would have gone by himself. They stood in front of Draco.

"I should have told you, I know, but I knew you would act like a twit," Ginny said to Ron.

Ron looked offended, "I would _not_!" He ignored Ginny's snort of laughter. "Besides, what is it that you were going to tell me? That Malfoy's got you under some sort of spell?"

Ginny sighed, trying not to yell. "Ron, you are dumber than I thought you were."

Draco looked up, "Ron---"

"You have some nerve!" Ron yelled at a very calm Draco. "Who do you think you are? Wasn't taking her once a big enough hassle for you?"

"Ron, shut up!" Ginny said, hitting him in the arm yet again. She ignored his childish glare. "Malfoy hasn't got me under any sort of _spell_, and he's not here to take me away."

"Then he has no right to be here!" Ron yelled. He pointed a finger at Draco, not looking at him. "This is our home, and you know very well that no _Malfoy_ is welcome here!"

Ginny yelled back, "He _is _welcome here! I'm welcoming him here! You can just mind your own business if you're going to act like a selfish little child!"

Ron snapped back, "I'm the selfish child? After all that we risked to come and get you back after he took you off, you're _welcoming _him here?"

"This is exactly why I don't tell you anything! YOU NEVER WANT TO LISTEN!" Ginny shrieked at him.

Draco tapped her on the shoulder urgently. She turned around to yell at him. "WHAT!"

He ignored her yell. "I think you're getting a bit too loud here."

"So?" Ginny said.

"You might wake someone up . . ."

Ron sneered, "I hope she does! As a matter of fact . . ."

Ginny glared at Ron, "Don't you dare!"

His sneer still in place, Ron cupped his hands over his mouth and started to yell. "HELP! COME UP HERE NOW! HE'S GOT US LOCKED IN AND WON'T LET US OU---"

Ginny clapped a hand over his mouth, her face bright red from anger and embarrassment. The whole house got quiet and all three of them froze. Suddenly, a rush of footsteps ascending the steps was heard, and she took her hand from Ron's mouth. Ron went to the door again, pounding on it with all his might.

"Stand back!" came Bill's voice. Ginny covered her face with her hands, not wanting to see what was going to happen next. She heard Draco murmur the counter spell and the lock on the door click.

Ron stepped back from the door as it opened, Ginny uncovering her face to see Bill and the twins enter the room slowly. Bill had his wand raised. Ginny wished that she wasn't restricted from using magic . . . she wanted to hex Ron good for what she knew was about to happen.

Bill stood in the doorway, staring at Ginny and Draco, who was now standing next to her. "I don't understand . . ."

Ron smirked, "It looks like Malfoy came back to finish what he's started!"

"I already told you that he's not here because of that, Ronald!" Ginny snapped. "He's here because of me, of course, but not because he wants to hurt me." She took his hand. "I hope that this is making it a bit more obvious . . ."

Bill, along with Fred and George, gaped. "Oh, Gin . . . no . . . Please don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me."

"I can't lie to you all any more." Ginny bit her lip and breathed in deeply, "He's the reason I didn't tell Harry yes."

George shook his head in utter disbelief, "This is just impossible . . . "

"You've just gone completely _mad_, haven't you?" Fred said, turning and leaving the room. George quickly followed.

Ginny looked at Bill hopefully. He was always the most understanding of her brothers, as well as one of the only ones she talked to seriously. The only bad thing was that he was so happy when he found out about Harry's proposal. Of course, he was still the only one, next to Hermione, that she was sure she would be able to convince that she wasn't absolutely crazy. Ron was standing next to him, seething, but at least being quiet now. Ginny turned to look at Draco, who was standing as silently as possible. Finally, she turned back to Bill.

"Come on, Bill. Don't give me that look."

Bill turned to Ron, "Why don't you go downstairs and tell Mum what's happened. Don't make a big deal out of it, please. I'm sure that Fred and George have told her already, but I need you to make sure she doesn't think Ginny's about to be killed."

Ron rolled his eyes and nodded, then left the room. Bill turned back to Ginny. "So, how do you suppose you are going to explain this to me?"

Ginny smiled. "Thanks, Bill."

He shrugged, "Don't worry about it. You're my favorite little sister. I'm practically obligated to hear your side of the story before anyone else's."

"I'm your _only_ little sister," Ginny said. "Now, I don't even know where to begin . . ."

Bill waved a hand dismissively, "Don't worry about. I'll just take your word for it. Besides, if you told me what happened, I wouldn't be able to join in on the insane amusement that isthe _interrogation_ . . ."

"That is _not_ happening," Ginny said seriously.

Draco looked confused, "Interrogation?"

Bill smiled evilly, "Yes. I hear that it's pretty bad for the normal boy, one that's more readily excepted. Of course, the only one who's ever actually made it through was Harry. The other two came out of it pretty shaken up."

"Other two?" Draco asked.

"You don't need to worry about them. They were fine enough . . . no _lasting_ scars . . ." Bill smiled.


	20. Chapter 20

_Chapter Twenty_: **Questions

* * *

**

Ginny came down the stairs cautiously after Bill, nearly dragging Draco behind her. She had to fight to convince him not to just leave. She told him that running off scared would only make him look like a coward, and it would make him look brave and genuine in his interest for her. He countered smoothly by telling her that he never made the claim that he was brave, but if he had to prove his love for her, that he would face his fears with dignity.

As they came into the livingroom, they found Hermione sitting next to Mrs. Weasley, patting her hand lightly and whispering that it would be fine. Ron and the twins sat on the couch, and were already watching the steps before they had come down. Ron looked annoyed, the twins both wore looks of a mischievous nature. Ginny knew what they were thinking, and she was already dreading it. Bill, she, and Draco stood before the room.

"Mum?" Ginny asked softly. Mrs. Weasley looked up. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "I'm just a bit shaken . . ."

Ginny bit her lip. They were all being so melodramatic about the whole thing, and it was starting to make her get angry. She sighed and turned to Hermione, who was watching her anxiously.

"Alright then," Bill said finally. "Mum, you and the girls should head into the kitchen. We'll be handling this . . . that is, if you don't mind."

Mrs. Weasley stood and smiled, "That's fine. Come, Hermione . . . Ginny."

Hermione stood also and waited for Ginny to follow. "Come on."

Ginny shook her head, "No. I'm not letting him face this alone. It would be inhumane."

Hermione shrugged and followed Mrs. Weasley into the kitchen, leaving Ginny and her brothers alone with a very apprehensive Draco. Bill sat down in between the twins on the couch, motioning for Draco to sit in the chair across from them. Ron got up and sat down on the floor in front of the couch, watching them. Ginny sat up on the side of the armchair, putting her arm across the back as Draco sat down in the hot seat. Bill turned to the twins gravely.

"Now, I know that you two will want to ask some of your own questions, but I ask that you wait until I tell you to. I have some things that I would like to ask first." He turned to Ron now, "You can ask last, that is . . . if we haven't covered any of what you would like to know already. We know how you tend to blow things out of proportion."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Bill breathed in deeply. "Now then, no interrupting us, you wait your turn. And Ginny, please don't say anything. It already odd enough having you here while we do this. Don't make it any harder on him."

It was Ginny's turn to reply with a simple, "Whatever."

Bill smiled and got started. "First question is a very necessary one, and it should be easy for you to answer. What makes you think that we'll believe you when you say that you've changed?"

Draco looked up at Ginny, then looked back at them. "I suppose you'll just have to believe me. I have changed, though I will be honest in that I haven't really changed completely. I do think that I have become something that should be worthy of acceptance though."

"Alright then . . . that was good enough." Bill turned to Fred, who was nudging him. "Do you have something to add?"

"Yes," Fred looked Draco over before asking his question, "Why _should_ we accept you after all that you've done to us?"

"Really, I think that I haven't done all that much to you personally. Sure, I did a lot to Potter, Ron, Granger, and a little to Ginny, but you . . . not so much."

Fred looked aghast, "What do you mean you haven't done anything to us?"

Draco elaborated, "Well, my father may have tried to ruin your family several times, but I never personally did anything to you, your twin, or Bill here."

"I suppose not . . . but you will agree that you have been a snooty little bas---"

"Yes," Draco said hastily. Ginny patted him on the back. "Sure, I suppose that I have."

Bill smiled, "I believe that it's my turn now. So, what do you have to offer Ginny then?"

Draco looked confused. "Well . . . I suppose that I can offer her myself and my money . . . and perhaps a happy home filled with laughter and little children?"

Ginny smirked at the confused looks on her brother's faces. "Smooth."

George rolled his eyes, "That must mean that you plan on actually providing a stable home for her, right?"

Draco nodded, "Of course."

Fred jumped in, "How do you plan on doing that when you and your family are known to have strong ties to all that is dark and unholy?"

"Dark and unholy?" Draco asked, "Maybe dark, but certainly not unholy. Either way, I plan on doing that by refusing to suffer under that affiliation anymore, just like my mother already has."

"Alright," George said, "but what about your last little venture here? The one that involved kidnapping our dear little sister and taking her off to some far off land?"

Draco looked a bit nervous, "Well, that was kind of circumstantial . . ."

"Circumstantial?" Bill asked.

"Yes, it was . . ." He looked up at Ginny who nodded at him, signaling that he should explain. "My mother was sick and I had been given the task of finding Potter through Ginny here, since she was supposed to be the easiest to capture and crack. She turned out to be harder to figure out than anyone I have ever met."

"If you cared about her so much," Ron butted in, "why didn't you just let her go?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "Do you really think that was an option for me? You saw the place, it was swarming with guards and other officials who would have killed for the opportunity to turn me in on any sort of suspicion."

Ron started to retort, but Bill shook his head. "That's enough of that, Ron. I think it is fair to accept that he had no other choice. Besides, we are straying from our point." He looked seriously at Draco. "What is your favorite color?"

Draco stared at him. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, you'd better believe him," Fred said deviously.

Sighing, Draco answered, "I suppose that it's green."

"Wrong answer!" George yelled.

Draco looked absolutely befuddled as the rest of the boys started laughing. Ginny glared at them. "That's enough."

Bill chuckled a little more before finally turning somber once more. "Seriously, do you think that you can offer Ginny something that Harry can't?"

Ginny flushed red and stopped Draco from answering. "That is none of your business, Bill. Move on, _now_."

"I didn't mean to offend you, Ginny," Bill said apologetically. "Okay, this will be the last question then, I can see you aren't very amused. Draco, tell me exactly what it was that made you change your mind about our family."

Draco looked at them for a moment, then said simply, "Ginny."

Her brothers were stunned into complete silence. Ginny bent down, beaming, and hugged him. Draco patted her back lightly. Sitting back up, but with an arm now around his shoulder, she looked at them all.

"Is that good enough for you?"

Bill shrugged, "I said it would be the last question, and that answer made it definite."

Draco smiled, "That means I'm free, right?"

"No," Bill shook his head, "it simply means that you've passed phase one. Now it's time for the careful observation of you and your character."

"Observation of my character?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course. We'll have to watch you for one whole day, so that means you'll be staying here tonight." Bill looked at Ginny, "You don't mind, do you?"

She looked at Draco, "It's not that bad. Don't worry."

Ron hopped up, "He's staying here?"

Bill nodded, "I think he'll share a room with _you_, as it's the hardest to get out of as well as the farthest from Ginny's."

Ginny laughed harshly. The twins smiled and stood up, Ron now looking quite homicidal at the fact that he was to be sharing a room with Draco, who stood up neatly with Ginny. Bill finally stood up and turned to Ron in a very brotherly manner.

"You are _not _a murderer," he told him gravely.

* * *

Ginny lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, retelling Hermione about the interrogation. Much to both of their surprise and relief, they were quite easy on him. Hermione seemed to find their questions pointless and very redundant, but Ginny was only glad that she had stepped in when they started to involve Harry's role in her love life into the questioning.

"So you're saying that was the worst thing they could have asked? _That _was worse than them asking him to explain his actions over the past years?"

Ginny rolled over on her side to face Hermione. She propped her arm up and rested her face in her palm. "I don't really know why, but yes. Draco shouldn't have been brought into that, and they had no right to even talk about it. I mean, it's hard enough for me to choose without them trying to make him incriminate his own self. It's absolutely ridiculous that they even do that to anyone in the first place, much less asking him to tell them why he's worthy of my love."

Hermione nodded, "You are able to judge him for yourself. It's not very fair of them to try and change your mind. I mean, goodness, if I can't even get you too . . ."

Ginny smiled. "I do respect that they're trying to be good brothers and protect me from love, which is much more dangerous than I ever could have known, but I think they don't realize that I am sixteen now. Sure, it's still quite young, but it's not like I'm twelve anymore. I can make my own decisions."

"Don't preach to the converted here, Ginny," Hermione said, smiling. "I think it's just something you'll have to go through. I can't understand so much, considering I'm all by my lonesome most of the time."

"Lucky," Ginny said enviously. She reached over and turned off her lamp, then rolled back onto her back and continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"I know you don't really care about what your family thinks. That's not what your thinking about right now, and I can tell."

Ginny sighed, "I just hate having to make such an important decision so soon."

"You'll be fine," Hermione said seriously. "I know that you can make the right choice."

Ginny sighed and rolled over to face her wall. As soon as she heard Hermione's breathing slow, and she was sure that she was asleep, she quietly spoke to herself.

"I sure hope so . . ."


	21. Chapter 21

_Chapter Twenty-One_: **Endurance

* * *

**

Hermione shook Ginny from her deep sleep, looking down at her happily. Blinking against the light now filling the room, Ginny rubbed her eyes. She sat up, turning to give Hermione a confused look.

"What are you so cheery about?" Ginny yawned.

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know. It's a gorgeous day, which is saying something for it being October, and it turns out that your little pal has survived the night."

Ginny smiled, "How do you know that?"

"I came out to use the bathroom and found Ron and him arguing like mad on the landing," she said laughing. "I think that Ron might have stepped on him getting up or something."

Getting out of the bed, Ginny joined in on the laughter. "I just hope that Bill will be around all day to make sure Fred and George don't take it too far."

Hermione shrugged, "I doubt that they'll go too crazy . . ."

"Wow," Ginny breathed, "if you really believe that after coming here so much, you must be insane."

The girls laughed once more, Ginny following Hermione out of the room and to the stairs. The cheeriness that Hermione awoke her with seemed still a bit odd, but Ginny knew that it was really just Hermione trying to make sure she had a good start to what would become such a stressful day. As they came into the livingroom, Ginny was quite disappointed to find that her father still was not home. Mrs. Weasley sat in her chair, talking quietly to Bill. Ginny didn't see the rest of the boys.

"Where's Draco?" Ginny asked Bill.

"I think he went out for a bit with the twins," Bill said.

Ginny froze, "You let him go off with _Fred and George_? What were you thinking?"

Bill shrugged, "They seemed to be getting along this morning, I didn't suppose it would be that bad. They're out in the garden if you're so worried."

Sighing, Ginny shook her head and made for the door. Hermione ran up to join her as they came out of the house and made their way to garden.

"I don't think you should be so worried," Hermione said.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Well, that doesn't change the fact that I am . . . if that makes any sense."

Hermione laughed, "What can they do out here in the open?"

"Oh, they can do a lot more than you would ever think . . ."

Ginny spotted Draco standing alone in the middle of the garden, looking very lost. The twins were nowhere to be found, which allowed Ginny to breathe a deep sigh of relief. She looked around once more, just to make sure they weren't hiding somewhere near, before she finally entered the garden. Hermione stayed out on the edge as Ginny went to meet him.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked.

He smiled at her, "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too," Ginny said with a slight impatience. "Why are you out here?"

He shrugged, "No clue. I think I might have been lured here under false pretenses."

"And what were those pretenses, if I might ask?"

"The arrogance that is your two brothers," Draco said slowly, "seem to think that I want to play Quidditch with them. They seemed to overlook the fact that they are both Beaters, and I'm just a Seeker."

"That doesn't make any sense whatsoever," Ginny said.

Draco nodded, "I _know_! How are you supposed to play with only Beaters and a Seeker?"

She shook her head, "No, I mean . . . they usually play up in the apple orchard. Why would they ask you to come to the garden?"

"Maybe it's some sort of silly test . . ." Draco mused.

Ginny laughed, "I wouldn't put it past them."

"I've been here for a good twenty minutes, which is making me quite anxious . . ."

"This is stupid," Ginny said, taking his hand. "Let's go back inside. Whatever it is that they want can't be _this_ important . . ."

Walking him out of the garden, Ginny thought to herself. _Why must everything be so damn complicated with my stupid family . . . It's hard enough to even maintain a relationship without these kinds of distractions!_ They met up with Hermione, who was chewing on her bottom lip, eyeing Draco cautiously. Ginny could tell that she was still very apprehensive when it came to trusting his civility. Draco smiled at Hermione faintly, and Ginny resisted the temptation to hit him in the arm.

"Morning, Granger," Draco said.

Hermione looked him over. "Good morning to you too, Malfoy."

Ginny rolled her eyes and headed for the house once more, pulling Draco by his hand. She went around the side of the house to the door leading to the kitchen, smirking when she found Fred and George sitting at the table with Ron, trying to look guiltless. Ginny glared at them and let go of Draco's hand, sitting down at the table next to Ron and taking a piece of toast from a plate in the center of the table.

Sitting down on the other side of her, Draco tapped his fingers on the table lightly, looking between all of them. Ron was glowering at him from the other side of Ginny, and the twins were still wearing looks of complete innocence. Ginny watched as Hermione sat down between Ron and George, nearly completing the circle of the table. She too grabbed some toast, chewing on it slowly in the silence.

"Morning, Gin!" Fred said brightly, beaming at her. "Did you sleep well?"

She glared at him, "Shut up, Fred."

"I think that means _not_," George said lowly to Fred.

Ron looked at them harshly, "Just leave her alone, you two."

Hermione watched fearfully over her toast. Ginny knew that she had been around quite enough to sense when a fight was about to break out. Draco continued watching the people around him curiously.

"We weren't doing anything wrong, _Ronnie_," George snapped. "And besides, we really don't have to listen to you."

"I'm so tired of hearing about what you don't have to listen to, George," Ron retorted.

"Stop it before it starts, Ron," Hermione whispered to him softly, putting a gentle hand on his arm. "Don't get worked up over nothing."

Ginny watched in awe as Ron looked at Hermione, whatever beast inside of him that normally came out during the family fights seemed to settle down. He sighed and slumped back in his chair, his former tension gone. Hermione smiled at him softly. In sudden realization that entire room was staring at them, Ron cleared his throat loudly and stood.

"I think . . . I'm going . . ."

Ginny laughed with her brothers as Ron exited the room, red-faced and humiliated. She could tell that Draco was holding back his laughter. Hermione looked upset. She stood up and followed after Ron, wringing her hands nervously. Ginny rolled her eyes and turned to the twins, trying to be as civil as possible.

"Why do you have to tease him so?" Ginny asked.

Fred looked confused, "Since when do you object to us messing with Ron?"

"Not _Ron_," Ginny sighed. "What reason did you two have for trying to make Draco stand out in the garden all morning?"

"He wouldn't have had to stand out there _all_ morning," George said. "Actually, if you were to look out the window in about . . . two minutes . . ."

Ginny immediately stood up, crossing the room and looking out of the window facing the garden. Draco came up beside her, staring out with mild curiosity. Then it hit Ginny, just as she saw a tall and worn figure Apparate into the garden, his robes wrinkled and his face sullen. Whipping around quickly, she rounded on the twins.

"You were just going to leave him out there alone for _dad_ to find!"

Fred bit his lip, "We thought me might as well get the ball rolling on this whole _reveal_ thing . . ."

Ginny threw her arms up in frustration. "You two just need to stop this right now! I don't care if you have some sort of _vendetta_ against Draco or his family. Shove your silly feud up your stupid as---"

"That's enough!" Draco stopped her fearfully. "Look, you two can hate me for as long as you like, it doesn't tear me up inside. I just wish you'd leave me alone for the sake of Ginny."

The twins looked shocked, both at Draco's words and at Ginny's explosion. Ginny stared at them now, still fired up, but now also curious as to what they would reply to Draco. Fred cleared his throat slightly, as if to say something, but seemed to lose his words just as soon as he opened his mouth. George was happy to choose words for the both of them.

"It's not that we hate you," George said to Draco, "it's more that we have a very hard time trusting your actions, which we can only believe are a sham in order to alleviate some stress from Ginny. Of course, if you're going through all that trouble just to make her happy, it's got to mean something. We just don't want to buy into whatever it is that you're trying to portray."

Draco shrugged. "I am trying to make this less stressful for Ginny, because I don't like seeing her family against her. Well, I guess you aren't against, more that you're all against the thought of her and I together." He sighed, "I can't explain myself to you all properly anyway. You'll just have to take what I say with whatever you want to."

Fred nodded. "You're doing a good job of selling yourself, Malfoy."

"Charisma _is_ one of my most coveted talents, Weasley." He smiled.

Rolling his eyes, George turned to Ginny, "Even though he is still a bit of an annoying snooty prat, I think we can overlook that for you. Of course, you aren't going to get out of explaining this to dad."

Ginny peeked around the corner to the livingroom, where Bill had already met her father at the door and was talking to him in hushed tones. Ginny turned back to the twins.

"I think that he's getting a bit of enlightenment as we speak."

Draco now looked mildly frightened. "He's not going to curse me out of the house, is he?"

Ginny shook her head, "Dad's a very calm person most of the time. If my mother didn't chase you off with her wand last night, then there is no cause for distress."

As the sound of yelling from her father was now added to the din of the household, Draco shot her a look filled with cynicism. "You have terrible timing, Ginny."

She smiled faintly, "My warped sense of timing suits me just fine, thank you. And besides . . ." she looked at the twins meaningfully, "you don't have anything to worry about until he starts to throw things."

Fred smiled deviously. "Good luck, Gin. I know that you're going to need it."

"_That_ comment did not help . . ." Draco said, now inching closer to Ginny, as if to hide behind her.

"You silly coward! Have you no shame?" Ginny said, laughing.

"I told you, I have never said that I was brave."

* * *

Ginny and Draco sat alone in the livingroom, her father having gone up to bed after talking for hours with the two of them. Her mother was in the kitchen now, straightening things up and clearing out the dinner things. Bill and Fleur had long since left to go out for a quiet dinner together, and had still not returned. Ron and Hermione were upstairs now with the twins, watching them play chess.

To her dismay, her father had acted quite like the twins had. He was very keen on hearing about how Draco could have reformed so quickly, and more suspicious than Ginny had ever seen him. Of course, she was quite sure that he might simply be taking his disappointment in her out on Draco. After quite a few harsh questions, Bill finally cut in and tried to calm him down. After a while, it seemed that he was finally starting to give in. Still, he took his time in telling Ginny that this couldn't be good for Harry,which meantshe had to give him another reason to be let down when she told him that Harry didn't know.

It ended as well as she had hoped, since he didn't once yell at either of them, and went to bed only after he assured her that he didn't mind anymore since he now knew her reasoning. This left Ginny and Draco alone still, left to talk about things in confidence.

"So, are you planning on leaving in the morning?" Ginny asked him.

He nodded, "Yes. I think that it would be wise for me to return to my house for a little while to talk with my mother about things. She knows a little about our relationship, but I never had the time to fully explain things to her."

"Was she angry with you?"

"No," he said shaking his head, "she was actually fine with it. I think she's just relieved that I'm finally taking time out of taking care of her. I know that while she enjoys my company, she would probably rather I be gone a little more often."

Ginny laughed, "I wouldn't expect her to be so understanding."

"Well, she's actually never been that bothered by the thought of me marrying someone other than Pansy Parkinson, unlike my father, and so this is just a bit of a shock for her."

"Pansy?" Ginny made a disgusted face.

"Her family is close with ours. It was something of an arranged marriage at first, but they decided that we could just figure it out by ourselves. She's always been sort of an unnecessary evil . . . a hindrance, I suppose." He waved his hand dismissively. "I don't want to talk about her now though. Now when I have you."

Ginny smiled, "You go back and forth so often. It's very hard to tell what you'll say next."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "I do? I thought I was quite the open book . . ."

"It might just be that I'm terrible at reading people."

He laughed slightly, "I think that would be the most believable explanation."

She chuckled softly, leaning against him. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against hers, which now lay on his chest. They sat like that in silence for several minutes, not moving until they heard Mrs. Weasley heading their way. Scooting out of his grasp and sitting up straight, Ginny smiled innocently at her mother.

"I think it's time for bed, Ginny dear," Mrs. Weasley said, looking at the two of them distrustfully. "You too, Draco."

They both just smiled and stood, Draco following Ginny up the stairs. When they came to her door, he stopped her, pulling her close and kissing her softly. Ginny kissed him back, pulling back as she heard her mother getting ready to ascend the steps. Ginny laughed at Draco, shooing him off down to Ron's room and going quickly into hers.


	22. Chapter 22

_Chapter Twenty-Two_: **Down

* * *

**

Ginny awoke the next morning to an empty room. She yawned loudly and climbed out of her bed, still contented from last night. Her stomach growled, telling her that she had slept in much too late. She quickly exited her room, going down the hall to the bathroom. The door was closed, the sound of water running told her that it wouldn't be open for a bit. Rolling her eyes, she went down to Ron's room to see if Draco was up.

Sitting on the cot and staring at the wall, Draco looked absolutely exhausted. There was no sign of Ron. Ginny walked in.

"Did you not get any sleep?"

He nodded, now looking at her happily. Ginny sat next to him, patting his head as he leaned against her shoulder.

"Your damn brother kept me up all night with his horrid snoring . . ." Draco said, now yawning.

Ginny laughed, "How did you sleep the night before?"

"Oh, I was asleep before him then."

"But wouldn't he wake you up?"

Draco shook his head, "No, I can sleep _through_ almost anything. I just can't get to sleep with a lot of noise around me."

Ginny stroked his hair for a bit, looking down at his face. "You'll be leaving soon, won't you?"

"I was hoping to go earlier, but Apparating without properly being awake is never a good idea."

"Well, maybe we should head downstairs for some coffee, then." She smiled down at him.

He nodded, "That is a winning proposition, Ginny."

Draco sat up, then stood with Ginny, both of them heading out the door and down the hall. He told her about his plans to go and visit his mother for a week, then to see if she could come herself. He said it would take a bit of time to get everything ready, as well as taking a few extra precautions with some of the other house occupants, but that it wouldn't be any real sort of hassle.

"I think that's a very good idea," Ginny said. "Are you sure that your mum won't have any problems with me coming?"

He shrugged, "I don't really think she will have anything horrible to say about it. Like I told you last night, she doesn't really have any issues with us being together. The only obstacle is actually getting you there without attracting any unwanted attention."

"So you're all still in hiding, right?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, and it wouldn't be very wise to jeopardize my mother's refuge. My own safety isn't anything that'll be too hard to ensure, considering I have learned to live on my own, but she's still not in good enough condition to be doing any sort of battling or fleeing."

"I suppose I'll just have to wait until you give me word then." Ginny stopped as they entered the livingroom. "Did Snape ever come looking for you?"

"Yes. Only . . . my mother actually told him where to find us."

Ginny was confused, "Why would she do something like that?"

"He's the only one she's got left besides me," Draco said quietly.

"You can't mean . . ."

"Yeah . . ." He sighed heavily. "My dad's been killed."

She made a move to comfort him, but he stopped her quickly. Looking into his eyes, she couldn't tell what he was trying to hide, but she knew he wasn't telling her everything. "How does Snape suddenly become your mother's only comfort?"

"I'm not really sure about it, but . . ." Draco looked away from her, "I think they've been having some sort of an affair all along."

Ginny didn't even attempt to piece that one together. "That's very . . . _convenient_."

Now he was confused. "How so?"

"It's just that it's a good thing . . . not coincidental or anything like that. It's just lucky for you guys that she and . . . Snape are _linked_."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I think we should head into the kitchen."

She nodded, smiling slightly. Shaking his head, he walked to the doorway. As they entered, Ginny noticed that something was a little off. There was no one in sight. She looked at the empty table, then to the empty sink. She turned around and peeked back into the livingroom to make sure that no one was there. They were all just . . . gone.

"Maybe this has something to do with it . . ." Draco suggested, waving a piece of parchment.

Ginny strode across the room swiftly, taking the paper with more force than needed. Draco didn't object or make a fuss, as he was more curious than offended. She let him lean in close to read it, something she was shocked to find he hadn't done already. As they read it in silence, Ginny let out an audible gasp.

**Ron,**

_Lupin and I will be making a stop in tomorrow morning. I made sure that Hedwig hurried __with this bit of post, as I knew it wouldn't be good to just show up. I hope that you and your family can meet us out in the garden, because we'll have to be quick about it. Tonks is finding one last bit of information for us, as she said it might take a day so we ought to come and say hello. We've already found one other Horcrux, as well as a couple of paths to lead us to the last ones. The research that Tonks is doing for us is to aid in destroying the two Horcruxes now in our possession, in case you were wondering. Don't tell Ginny immediately, I want it to be a bit of a surprise. _

**Harry**

Draco looked at her. "He's trying to destroy _what?_"

"Don't worry about it . . ." Ginny said softly. "We have bigger problems. Where did you find this?"

"It was just here on the table." He tried to look out the window, "They can't be here already!"

She bit her lip, "I don't know . . . everyone's, presumably, outside waiting. They've surely got to be on their way."

"But why would they come back _before_ anything substantial had happened?" Draco attempted to mull this over.

"We don't have the time to wonder why!" Ginny was feeling extremely anxious. "If he's out there now, you have to leave!"

Draco stopped. "You're not going to tell him? _Still_!"

"I-I don't . . ." she stammered, trying to find an excuse, "I just . . . it's not the right time! He doesn't need to be worrying about this right now . . . not when he's supposed to be concentrating on Vold--"

"It doesn't matter, Ginny! He's going to find out sooner or later . . . now is just as good a time as any. Do you really want this weighing on your conscience every time you see him? Every time you look at him or write him, every time you talk to him or think about him . . . you don't want to feel guilt like that."

Ginny was now chewing on her lip. "He'll be so upset, Draco. You know he will. I think, personally, that this is just some sort of _thing_ that you can hold over his head!"

"I am _offended_!" Draco turned slightly pink. "You know that I'm trying my best to be mature in this situation, and you just want to turn this into a competition! This isn't about any sort of feud I have with Potter!"

She sighed and looked to the floor. "I know it isn't . . . I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he scratched his head and looked to the doorway. "Are we going to head out there, or do you want me to make a run for it?"

She still didn't look at him. "Are you scared?"

"Not at all. Are you?"

"A bit . . ."

"Your hands are shaking . . . don't worry so much. It'll be fine." He walked over to her and bent down to look her in the face, trying to cheer her up. "What's the worse that could happen?"

Ginny could think of about three very horrible things that could happen, none of which she wanted to tell Draco about. "I'll just have to face it."

He took her hand and led her to the front door, opening it slowly and stopping only to look in her eyes. She let go of his hand, but nodded to him, smiling softly. As they came out onto the porch and turned to face the garden, Ginny could almost feel the tension. Her parents were standing outside with Bill and the twins. Hermione was standing on her toes next to Ron, all of them staring openly at Ginny and Draco. Biting her lip and breathing in deeply, she made her way to join her family.

Fred and George eyed Draco warily, Ron only watching Ginny with curiosity. "You found it then?"

She nodded, "Nice of you to just let me find out on my own, Ron."

"It's what Harry said he wanted."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ron, he didn't say for her to find out at the last minute."

Ron shrugged. "It doesn't matter that much . . . does it?"

Hermione simply shook her head at him and turned to Ginny. "So, you're telling Harry then?"

"Yeah," Ginny looked up at Draco, "I owe it to both of them, really."

Her parents were watching the conversation, but neither of them made a move to say anything. Ginny looked at Bill, who was smiling at her. She knew that he was probably the only one around here who was actually picking up on her true feelings, considering how alike they were. She turned back to Draco and smiled. He smiled back wanly, patting her back lightly. They all turned just and stood in silence, waiting for Harry and Lupin to arrive.

The day itself was beautiful. Ginny knew that the weather lately had been unusually nice, which might be attributed to the fact that Voldemort might be traveling. Ginny didn't want to think about that now, though. She already had quite enough to deal with even while trying to ignore the impending doom that the Dark Lord entailed. Trying to keep her cool, and willing her stomach to settle, she pushed her thoughts out of her head as a solitary man appeared in front of them.

Lupin was quite worn and bedraggled, though not any more than usual. He greeted Molly and Arthur jovially, hugging them both in turn, then heading for Bill and the twins. Ginny shifted uneasily as Lupin made his way down the line to where she and Draco stood anxiously. Lupin simply stared in confusion at Draco, then turned to Ginny questioningly.

"What's this all about, then? Haven't I seen enough of him lately?"

"He's going to be playing quite the large role in my life from now on," Ginny said slowly, not looking directly at Lupin.

He gave her a slightly disapproving look, then turned to Hermione. "Sounds like more drama than one girl should be allowed to stir up."

Hermione laughed with Ron, both of which ignored the glares Ginny sent them. Draco smiled pleasantly until he caught the look on Ginny's face, at which point he bit his lip and tried to look innocent.

"Well, Harry will be here in a moment, so you had better be ready," Lupin said to Ginny. "I'm quite sure this is a much bigger deal than I can imagine."

Ginny nodded, "Oh, definitely."

The small group turned and watched as the next figure appeared in the garden, much cleaner and calmer than the first. Harry looked around, smiling, until his eyes traveled to the end of the line. His smiled faded, and his glimmering eyes seemed to flicker out for a split second. _This is going to be much harder than I originally assumed, _Ginny thought, watching Harry now with feelings of unrest. _Much harder, indeed._


	23. Chapter 23

_Chapter Twenty-Three_:** Tick

* * *

**

Sensing what was about to commence, Mrs. Weasley picked up on Ginny's feelings and seized Harry. The rest of the family followed suit, Hermione even running up to hug Harry for as long as she could hold him. The twins surrounded him, talking all at once and asking for answers to questions they already knew. Bill put an arm around Harry too, talking with the twins. Ron and Mr. Weasley stood back a little until they could find room, then they greeted Harry jovially and with as much gusto as they could manage without seeming that they were all on drugs. Ginny and Draco stood back while all of this took place.

After a good five minutes, Harry finally broke free and made his way to Ginny without a word to anyone else. Draco edged back as Harry approached. The rest of the group hurried into the house, knowing that this was not a good time for a huge crowd to be present. Hermione gave Ginny a look of encouragement as Ron dragged her into the house. Ginny only inhaled deeply and turned back to Harry, who was doing his best to not look at Draco at all.

"Hello," Ginny said nervously.

Harry stared. "Hello. What's this?" He gestured at Draco, still keeping his eyes on her.

"It's a bit to explain, really," Ginny said. "It's very complicated, you see."

"I think I can handle a bit of complicated logic. Tell me why he's here, why you two are standing so closely, and why everyone attacked me when I arrived."

Ginny inhaled deeply once more, then exhaled slowly. She dove right in. "When Draco took me, I naturally was angry at him, but a few things led to a sort of . . . attraction or something and I grew to like him. When you came and rescued me, I didn't know what to do . . ."

Harry looked at her, his face remaining calm, "It was an act, then?"

"Yes . . . I only did it because I wasn't ready to admit what I was feeling."

"Alright, so you two are . . . _involved_?" Harry's cheeks were turning a bit pink. "Ginny, you lied to me."

She tried to keep her calm, "I didn't mean to lie to you. I knew you wouldn't be happy with me at all . . . I mean, can you really blame me?"

For a moment, it looked as if he might let his guard down, but all hopes of that were quickly dashed when he glared at her. "Yes, I really can. If I were starting to fall for someone else, I would have told you."

"Sure, Harry," Ginny said spitefully, "After a whole summer of excluding me in your personal life, I find it hard to believe you would tell me much of _anything_."

"I did not _exclude_ you! I couldn't tell you any of that! I think it was a good thing I didn't, considering what happened to you. If you had known the whole story, then you would probably have been taken for your knowledge and been forced to tell what we were up to."

She rolled her eyes, "Harry, I'll believe that you probably didn't want anyone to know what you were up to, and that under different circumstances I might have been forced to tell what I know, but," she looked at Draco shortly, then back to Harry, "he would have never done that to me."

"Like he didn't try to!" Harry was now seething.

"He _didn't_!" Ginny yelled back. "He asked me. He never once tried to use magic on me to get his way. He didn't slip me any potion or anything."

Harry rolled his eyes, "He probably didn't even know _how_."

"Stop that!" She glared at him. "I'm tired of all this nonsense between you two! You're both very able wizards, and you are both very evenly matched. Just stop with all of the jabs and slanders now, _please_!"

Harry folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "You never stood up for him before."

"It's different now, Harry, and you know it."

"Fine," Harry said, unfolding his arms and staring at her, "What do you want me to do then? Just stand here and listen while you tell me that you can't marry me because of him? Just sit here and watch you leave me?"

Ginny shook her head, "I never said I was leaving you, Harry! I'm young . . . I need time to pursue other things. You can't honestly say that you want me sitting at home while you're off fighting Voldemort, all alone and worried. I know you wouldn't want that for me."

"That's not what I even said I wanted, Ginny!" Harry said pleadingly. "I want you with me, like my mother and father were . . . _together through it all_. That's what I want. I never said you were going to become some lonely little housewife with no life of her own."

"But that's what I would become anyway, Harry." Ginny breathed in deeply. "I just want some time to be with Draco for now. Besides, right now I can't come with you. It's not even a possibility. This is _your_ battle, Harry. I can't help you overcome this."

Harry looked to the ground and said quietly, "You say that like you think your comfort means nothing to me."

"I know it does. I just think you'll be better without me."

"How? _How _does that work, Ginny?" Harry looked back up at her, sad and wounded.

"I don't know, really . . ." Ginny looked away. "I can't stand to do this to you, but I have to be true to myself."

Harry sighed, trying to regain some composure. He looked at Ginny regretfully. "I suppose none of this would have happened if I hadn't told you we couldn't be together in the first place?"

She shrugged, "I really don't know about that, Harry. For now . . . I'm sorry."

Harry shook his head, "You don't have to apologize to me."

They were all silent. Ginny looked over at Draco, who was watching Harry in a pitying sort of way. Harry looked over at Draco now also, but he did not give him any emotion to determine. Ginny felt a little anxious at this point. She knew Harry, and she also knew Draco. Something very bad could be about to happen. Actually, something very bad was _quite_ likely to happen.

Draco sighed, "I hope there are no hard feelings, Potter." He held his hand out for Harry to shake.

Ginny watched Harry hopefully. For a moment, he looked a little surprised at this gesture, but very quickly that look of shock turned into a bitter one. Ginny stood back a little, hoping that maybe that would encourage Harry to accept the hand shake. She was dead wrong. It seemed her stepping back just allowed Harry more room to do what he had been wanting to all along.

Swiftly, without any warning whatsoever, Harry swung back a fist and punched Draco square in the face. Ginny screamed as Draco reached up to cover his nose, from which a stream of blood was now pouring. He glared at Harry from behind his hands, then took his right one and swung at Harry. Ginny tried to step between them, but it was no use to do so unless she wanted to join in.

Draco punched Harry in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground gasping for breath, but not for long. He jumped back up, countering with another punch to the face, this time hitting Draco's left eye. Draco lunged at him, tackling him the ground. At this point, Ginny was in hysterics.

"_Stop it!_" Ginny shrieked, stepping even further back. It was no use.

Neither of the boys even glanced her way. Punching, kicking, yelling, and only focusing on the pain they were causing each other, they were blind to all else. Ginny decided that she was only wasting her breath and time yelling. Abandoning the lost cause, she ran up to the house, where everyone was now running out. Though she now had suspicions that they had been watching all along, she ignored them and instead became thankful as Ron sprinted out to break up the fight.

Pulling Draco off of Harry and trying to step in between the two frenzied fighters, Ron's reward became a mislaid punch in the mouth from Draco. This set Ron off, causing him to abandon his cause of ending the fight. Instead, it seemed to get worse, as he and Harry began to gang up on Draco. Ginny turned back to Bill and the twins in horror.

"Why the hell are you just _standing_ there! Quit gaping and break them up!" She screamed.

Bill shook himself out of his alarmed stupor. "Oh, right! Fred, George, come on!"

As they ran out to force the boys apart, Lupin raced after. Ginny went up to stand with her mother, who drew her close and held her like a child. Hermione was watching both Ron and Bill, who was trying to wrest the younger brother away from Draco, with a very pained expression. Ginny turned away and watched Draco. It was taking the combined efforts of Lupin and George to pull Harry away, but Draco was simply standing behind Fred. Fuming and huffing from the exertion, Draco looked over at Ginny, face bloodied and apologetic. She pulled herself out of her mother's grasp and went back to the group of men.

Harry was now glaring at him over Lupin's shoulder, his face not nearly as damaged as Draco's. He had a small bruise on his right cheek, as well as a slightly swollen lip. Other than that, Ginny assumed most of his bruises would be on his arms and his stomach. Draco was developing a black eye, his nose possibly broken and still bleeding, and his chin bruised horribly. Ron had a swollen lip as well as a small bruise under his left eye. Ginny stared at them, shaking her head.

"I'm so disappointed in you, Harry," she said softly, her voice cracking. She turned to Draco, who looked slightly relieved. "Don't think I'm not mad at you! You could have stopped it before it even started."

"He's the one who went and broke my nose!" Draco protested.

Ginny didn't raise her voice, simply keeping that same let down voice and face in place, "You hit him back. You didn't have to do that. You could have been the bigger man and just walked away."

"Oh, honestly!"

Ginny shook her head, "We'll talk about it later, Draco."

He rolled his eyes and put his hands back up to his nose. Ginny turned to Harry, who wouldn't look directly at her.

"If you were hurt," Ginny began uncertainly, ". . . you should have yelled at me. You shouldn't have attacked him like that. I'm the one you're mad at."

"No, I'm not mad at you, Ginny." He glared at Draco, "I'm mad at _him_. That's why I hit _him_. With you, I'm just . . . confused."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said for what felt like the tenth time that day. "It's not his fault, though. Don't blame this on him. It really _is_ me you're mad at, you just don't want to admit it."

Harry looked around at her brothers and Lupin, all of which looked extremely interested in what was going on. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley had edged toward the group, as well as Mr. Weasley, who was watching more openly than anyone else.

"Do you think we could talk about this privately?" Harry asked, eyeing everyone.

Ginny nodded, "I'm sure that we could manage that." She walked to Draco. "You let my mother take care of your nose while I talk to Harry, alright?"

Draco nodded, eyeing Harry over her shoulder jealously. "I suppose I can handle that."

Mrs. Weasley took Draco by the arm gently, leading him back into the house with the twins and Bill. Hermione went to Ron, taking his hand and nodding her head toward the house. They both followed Lupin and Mr. Weasley inside, leaving Ginny and Harry alone.


	24. Chapter 24

_Chapter Twenty-Four_: **Frozen

* * *

**

Harry shifted as the front door closed, giving them the assurance that they were able to talk in private. Ginny stared at him as sedately as she could, not wanting to argue with him any more. Sighing, Harry dropped his arms to his sides and looked at her genuinely.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"I'd think that was fairly obvious at this point," Ginny said slowly.

Harry shook his head, "Not that. I mean . . . you don't expect me to apologize for what I did, do you?"

"I was hoping you might, actually."

"You know I won't."

She shrugged, "Where does that leave us, then?"

He sighed again. "I don't know any more, Ginny."

"I think that we should just take a break," Ginny began, "I mean, you have a lot to handle, and I'll only be a distraction. I wish that I hadn't done this so soon. You still have to go and fight Voldemort, and this is only going to make it that much harder for you to concentrate . . ."

"No, don't say that. I don't want to take another break from you. I'm tired of breaks and not seeing one another . . . I love you and I can't wait like that. It's all or nothing."

Ginny stared at him. "You'd actually put me in that position?"

"How do you think I felt when you put me on the spot like that in front of Malfoy?"

Ginny could feel her cheeks turning red. "I don't want to argue with you, Harry. Not right now. This is too important for us to be acting like some kind of bickering couple."

Harry looked at her. "Couple?"

She thought she might cry at this point. "Do you not like me calling us that?"

"Well, it's more that I was under the assumption that you didn't want us to be a couple," Harry said sternly. "Is that the case, or have you just decided you're now going to change your mind whenever you like?"

"Why are you being so spiteful?" Ginny asked quietly.

Harry looked at her ruefully, "I'm making an ass of myself, aren't I?"

"Just a bit," Ginny said, smiling. "I don't blame you though, I know I would do the same."

They stood there uncomfortably for a moment. Ginny avoided full eye contact with him, not wanting to see hurt or anger hidden behind them. No matter how she looked away, it seemed, he wouldn't stop trying to meet her eyes. Finally, after a suitable silence had passed, Ginny sighed heavily, looking at him completely.

"How do we want to do this, then?" Ginny asked him.

Harry shrugged, "It's up to you, whatever it is that you want to happen will happen. I think I lost control of this situation a long time ago."

"I want you to focus on what you have to do, not on me," Ginny said sincerely. "What's going on at home can wait until you have dealt with Voldemort. I know it's stupid and silly for me to say this, but I'm not that important to you, Harry."

"What does that mean? You are more than important to me, Ginny."

She looked away from him, "You need to do this for yourself and for the world, Harry. Love and all of this silly drama that I'm tied to should be the last thing you worry about."

He shook his head in cynical disbelief, then looked back at her with slight annoyance, "You just think the way everyone else does . . . I'm only good for a hero."

"No, it's not that at all," Ginny protested. "For now, that's what you are. You have to embrace that and throw everything else to the side for now. I understand that! Harry, I won't let you mess up something this important just because you want the assurance that I'll be ever loyal to you. I love you too much for you to do that."

He scoffed, "Ginny, if you loved me, you'd stick by me."

"Don't even pull that with me," Ginny glared at him. "I _am_ sticking by you. I don't have to be your fiancee or your wife, or even your girlfriend to stick by you. There are too many strings attached in a relationship!"

Harry rolled his eyes, "I hate how you decide to understand my noble logic just when it's failing me."

"This is no time for cynicism," Ginny said softly.

"I know." Harry stared at her sedately.

Ginny shifted uneasily. "That's it then, I suppose."

"So," Harry stared at her as she met his mournful gaze, "you're ending us?"

Slowly and painfully, Ginny nodded. Instantly, Harry's face went from worried to distraught, the change causing Ginny's mood to lower even further. She walked up to him, hugging him. He put his arms around her fleetingly, then let go. Sensing that this was only making things worse for both of them, Ginny stepped back, looking for some solace in his stone-set face. No apologies were spoken, but all of that seemed implied. Harry reached up, gently touching her face. With bleary eyes, Ginny touched her hand to his and removed it from her face, lowering it to his side and letting go.

"I'd better go inside . . ." Ginny said slowly. "I'll tell everyone they can come out now."

Harry nodded, "When this is over, Ginny . . ." he trailed off.

"I won't make you any promises."

Harry sighed, "Does this mean that you'll be with . . . _him_?"

"I suppose that it does," Ginny said quietly. "Are you going to be okay with that?"

With appropriate hesitation, Harry replied sardonically, "I think you know what my answer will be."

"I guess I do. Still, I won't have to worry about any more fighting, will I?" Ginny looked at him with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"I won't be around enough," Harry said honestly. "So . . . no, you won't."

Laughing bitterly, Ginny left him and walked up to the house, standing at the door for a moment. She spun slowly around and looked at Harry, who was still watching her. She waved goodbye to him, and without waiting for his return of the gesture, she turned and walked into the livingroom.

* * *

The room quickly emptied around them, Ginny sitting next to a slightly less bruised Draco. Ron and Hermione were still outside with Harry, but everyone else had retired to the kitchen for something to eat. Lupin was getting a few last minute stories in, as well as allowing Molly to check on his health for the third time that evening. It had only been an hour since Ginny had come back in from her talk with Harry, and she felt much lighter.

Draco turned to look into her face, checking once more to see if her calm expression would belie itself. She smiled at him softly, trying her best to give reassurance without saying anything. She hadn't yet told him everything, but she had made it clear that she and Harry were no more . . . for now. Draco never said anything about the afterthought she added, only giving her a somewhat upset look before telling her that he was happy for her.

"You can't leave tonight," Ginny said finally. She met Draco's confused glance with a serious one, "It's getting too late and I still want you to stay."

He smiled, "You know I'll have to leave eventually, right?"

"Yes, but you don't have to hurry off just yet. I need to be with you . . . I mean, since I can do it now without guilt."

Still grinning, Draco put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know _that_," Ginny sighed. "It's just that I want to spend a little more time with you."

"Well, I do really have to go tonight, Ginny. I need to check up on things." He looked down at his watch, then back at Ginny, "I can stay for a few more hours though."

Ginny put her finger to her lips in mock thought. "I _suppose_ that'll have to do, then."

They laughed, savoring each other's company. Ginny put her hands over his, clutching them tightly and leaning into him more, closing her eyes in a drowsy sort of way. She knew that eventually the talk would turn to making plans for some sort of real and tangible relationship, but for now she didn't want to think about that. Thinking about that meant realizing that he wouldn't be around all that much, and that this moment they were sharing right now might take a long time to come again.

She looked up at him, hoping to see that he might have fallen asleep, preventing himself from leaving. There was no luck in this. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb, watching her silently. Smiling, as if he knew what she had been thinking, he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Stop making this so hard, Ginny," he said, still smiling.

Ginny bit her lip, "I can't help it."

He rolled his eyes, "I'm sure that's not true."

She laughed, "Well, I suppose I can help it . . . I just don't feel like it. The harder I make leaving for you, the less you'll want to leave me."

"Oh, is that true?" Draco playfully raised an eyebrow.

"Of course," Ginny said, smirking, "It's been proven scientifically . . . Men stand no chance against the absolutely astounding persuasion powers of a woman. Hermione's told me all about it. She knows all about that sort of science stuff, you see."

Draco shook his head. "You girls and your silly little theories . . ."

Ginny glared at him harmlessly, making a move to retort. Her voice was stopped by a sudden clatter in the kitchen. Jumping up quickly, Draco doing the same, she made her way to the kitchen.

"Don't," Draco said shortly, grabbing her arm and pulling her gently back. "Wait."

The minutes they stood in silence passed slowly. Ginny looked at Draco. "What's going on?"

Draco shook his head, "I can't be sure . . ."

"Draco--"

He shook his head at her, putting a finger to his lips, calling for her to be quiet. He pulled her to him, then stood in front of her. Ginny held his hand firmly, closing her eyes and leaning into his back. At once, Ginny heard a loud explosion, followed by a yell from Mr. Weasley for everyone to head upstairs. Ginny clutched at Draco fearfully. He wasn't paying her any mind as the rest of the family sped by them and up the stairs. He was staring at the now open front door.

"I knew you'd be here," said a cold female voice. "You never were good at keeping a secret."

She laughed, moving into the livingroom haughtily. A large man followed her inside. "Enough talk . . . let's get this moving quickly. I don't want to be here all night."


	25. Chapter 25

_Chapter Twenty-Five_: **Nightmares

* * *

**

Ginny stared. She couldn't believe it. The anger boiled inside of her as she stared at the room's newest occupants, in all of their former glory somewhat. The woman stood tall and menacing, dressed in her finest black dress robes, her hair long and sleek, and her eyes twinkling maliciously at Draco. Her companion wore long black robes also, and his billowed about his large form spectacularly. He smirked at Ginny, who was now fuming silently.

"So, it seems I was correct in my little theory," he said, eyeing the two of them. "Gotten a bit cozy with the Weasley girl, eh, Draco? I knew it right after our little dinner party. The way you two kept staring at each other was almost adorable."

Draco glared at him, "Shut up, Augustin."

"Oh, stop being so spiteful," Augustin said passively. "We have more important things to ask you about. Bella . . . get on with it."

Bellatrix turned to Draco with a threatening face. "We were sent here on a mission, one which we would like to get over with quickly. I have a few questions I need to ask you."

"Who sent you?" Draco asked.

"I'm running this interrogation," Bellatrix said coolly. "Now, onto the first . . . Where's my sister?"

"Why are you looking for her?" Draco spat.

She laughed bitterly, "Don't worry about that, Draco. It only seems to be a minor detail in my eyes. Now, where is she? Where have you taken her?"

Draco repeated himself once more, "Why are you looking for her?"

"How dare you!" Bellatrix gasped. "It is of no business to you why I'm looking for her."

"I think that it is, Aunt," Draco said, crossing his arms.

Ginny could tell that her patience was wearing thin. "Just tell me, Nephew."

Draco shook his head. "No."

Bellatrix exhaled in frustration. She glared at him. "_Tell me where she is_, _you loathsome little brat!_"

Augustin rolled his eyes at her. "You never did master the fine art that is _subtlety_." He looked at Draco, "Please tell me that you'll just give us what we need."

"Please tell me you aren't that stupid," Draco said seriously. "Look, if you want to find my mother, I don't think you should be looking here."

Bellatrix scoffed, "I don't really see you in too much of a position to argue, dear boy. Just tell us where she and Severus have run off to so we may leave."

"You want Snape too?" Draco asked.

Augustin scowled at Bellatrix. "Daft woman!" He turned to Draco, "Look, just tell us where they are and we can leave."

"What exactly do you want with my mother _and_ Snape?" Draco said again.

"I thought you were intelligent," Augustin said. "It's not that hard to figure out, is it?"

Ginny had to agree with Augustin. It was all _too_ obvious to her. Augustin and Bellatrix were under orders to find Narcissa and Snape, apparent traitors to their cause. Why they took the trouble out to get the information from Draco was beyond her, though. More importantly, they were under no real obligation to go after him at the Burrow, a house filled with full-grown wizards, as well as quite capable teenagers, all of which were fully armed.

Bellatrix stood firmly, her arms now crossed as she looked impatiently at Draco. She tossed her long black hair behind her back and tapped her foot. Jerking her head to stare at Augustin, she glared meaningfully at him, trying to tell him something without speaking. Ginny watched this exchange with Draco, who was slowly reaching for his wand.

Suddenly, Bellatrix's head snapped back, catching Draco just as his hand reached his pocket. She sighed in anger, her arms uncrossing and reaching into her robes, withdrawing her own wand. Augustin followed suit, leaving Draco frozen with his hand over his robes. Ginny wasn't fazed. She reached into her pocket and took out her own wand, stepping in front of Draco.

"Are you crazy!" Draco hissed in her ear.

"_Stop-talking-and-get-out-your-damn-wand-you-silly-boy_," Ginny said in one breath.

Draco did so quickly, stepping up next to Ginny. Bellatrix and Augustin simply stared.

"This is not going at all how we planned," Augustin said, looking at Bellatrix from the corner of his eye.

Bellatrix let out a noise of aggravation, "Just shut up already with your complaining."

Augustin gaped, "That's no way to talk to your father! I don't give a damn who you think you are . . ."

"Shut up!" Bellatrix yelled at him. "This is not the time, you fool!"

Ginny couldn't help but laugh a bit. Draco threw her a quick look of disbelief, stifling her giggles. They resumed their more menacing stance. Bellatrix regained her composure and smirked at Draco.

"Where did you get all of this rebelliousness from? You never would have pulled a stunt like this when your father was around."

Draco's eyes narrowed, "You know nothing about my father. All you know are lies and exaggerations."

She laughed bitterly, "Draco, I know more about your father than you could even imagine."

"Enough," Augustin said. "This talk is getting us nowhere. We might as well just tell him what we're on about so he'll cooperate."

"Once he knows, he'll just get even more upset," Bellatrix said.

Draco looked at them both expectantly, "What? What is it? Just tell me."

Augustin looked at him sternly. "It's a matter of life and death. Well, what with our living, and your mother and Severus dying."

"You were right, Aunt . . . This doesn't make things any better."

"Just tell us where they are, or take us to them," Bellatrix said.

Ginny whispered to Draco, "Don't tell them, Draco. They'll be killed."

"Stop stating the obvious, Ginny," Draco said with a little too much annoyance for Ginny's liking.

She glared at him, "You're one to talk."

Draco sighed very loudly, "I don't think this is quite the right time to talk about this . . ."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny turned back to Augustin. "This is Voldemort wanting this, then?"

Augustin ignored Bellatrix's scoff. "Clever girl," he began sarcastically, "of course it is. Look, Draco, please just tell us so we can go. If we stay too long here, you stand to put this whole household in danger."

Draco laughed, "What are you going to do against all of us?"

Bellatrix laughed bitingly. "Do you think we're stupid enough to just come here all by ourselves?"

"Their bluffing," Ginny said quietly. Bellatrix glared at her.

"Now, there's no time for this," Augustin said impatiently. "Draco, just tell us where they are, and we will leave. No questions asked, no violence . . . nothing."

"I don't know where they are," Draco said, looking Augustin directly in the eyes. "After I left your house, I went to my own to see if I could find my mother, but she had already left. The house was spotless, everything was normal. I looked for her for days, and had no luck. That's when I came here. So, if you don't mind, I would like it very much if you would just leave now."

Augustin and Bellatrix were silent. Bella was looking at Draco critically, as if trying to find some hint of a lie in his stance or expression. Ginny put a hand on Draco's arm, standing beside him strongly. Augustin sighed.

"Very well, then," he said. "We'll be leaving now."

Bellatrix looked at him in disbelief as he turned to leave. "That's it? That's all that it took to ease you?"

"Stop talking, Bella," Augustin said, "We're leaving, and that's final."

Like a scolded dog, Bellatrix bent her head and followed her father out, casting Draco one last glare over her shoulder. Ginny sent her a smile, then turned to Draco as the door closed. He put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, then broke it, still holding her slightly.

"I think that I should leave now," he said quietly.

"Why? They're gone. You don't have to worry about it now."

He shook his head, "No, they'll be back. I should go and find somewhere to stay for a bit, then head to the house . . . my house. I'll come to see you again, I promise."

Ginny sighed, "I don't want you to leave, I won't lie, but I guess you're right. Even if you're gone, though . . . that can't stop them from coming here again, Draco."

"I know," he said, looking at her softly, "maybe I can do something to distract them . . . give them some sort of sign that I'm not here any more. I'm sure they'll think I've left anyway. They aren't entirely stupid enough to think I'd stay in one place for this long."

"So, you're leaving now?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I think it's best. You tell your mother thanks for helping me with my wounds, and if anyone else cares, tell them that I'm sorry for what happened today."

Ginny smirked at him, "Oh, what's this? Draco Malfoy showing a bit of human emotion towards the _Weasley family_? Has Hell frozen over?"

"Stop that, or I shall be forced to sneer," he said.

Ginny laughed, leaning up to kiss him. She pulled back, smiling at him. "Who am I to do this to you?"

Draco grinned, leaning forward until their foreheads were touching, "You are Ginny Weasley, and you are the only girl I'd feel right for changing for. Of course, you can't expect anymore than what I have already given you . . . I'm no super hero."

She laughed once more. "You are a silly boy."

They kissed once more, Draco breaking it this time. He hugged her tightly once more, then said his goodbye to her, heading for the door.

"Draco."

He turned, "Yes, Ginny?"

She looked at him seriously. "Don't do anything stupid."

He nodded at her, then turned and left. Ginny sighed deeply, walking to the stairs and heading up to tell everyone about what had happened.


	26. Chapter 26

_Chapter Twenty-Six_: **Calculation

* * *

**

Harry and Hermione came inside with Ron as Ginny ascended the steps. She stopped and went back down, going to them. She had forgotten all about them being outside, and now she didn't know what to tell them. Hopefully, they had seen who was outside, and maybe they could tell her how Bellatrix and Augustin arrived, or how they left even, or if anyone had come with them. Ginny noticed that they had dirt and twigs on their clothes, so she suspected they had seen more than she thought.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked them.

Hermione was the first to nod. "Yes, we're quite fine. Is everyone upstairs?"

"As far as I know," Ginny said. "Did you see anything?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Why did they come all the way here? They weren't trying to come after you again, were they?"

Ginny shook her head, "No, they wanted to talk to Draco. They were looking for his mother."

Ginny stopped there. She didn't think it would be the best idea to bring up Severus Snape in front of Harry. To the extent of her knowledge, the subject was quite off-limits. Ginny had eavesdropped on a few of Ron and Hermione's talks, but even they seemed to steer clear of Snape and his involvement in Dumbledore's demiseIn her mind, she still hadn't been able to decide on her feelings about it. She only knew that Draco seemed to trust him, and that everyone else seemed to hate him. In her eyes, it was still unsolved and very confusing all at once

"What did they want with her?" Hermione asked. "Did they say why?"

"Not exactly. They only said that she would, without a doubt, be killed. And of course, I think that they were going to be killed or something if they couldn't find her."

Ron looked at Ginny timidly, "Did he tell them where she was?"

"Of course not!" Ginny said. "No, he lied to them . . . of course, he's gone now, as I'm sure you saw."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, he Apparated out a few minutes ago. He said goodbye to us before though . . . we weren't expecting anyone else to come out of the house. We thought they were all gone. He gave us a bit of a scare, actually."

"So, you saw them go then?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Harry said. "They were arguing about something, then they Apparated a few yards from the house."

"Was anyone there with them?" she asked him curiously.

"No . . . I don't think so. No one came with them either," Hermione said. "Did they tell you that, or something?"

"Yeah," Ginny smiled slightly, "I knew they were lying."

Hermione bit her lip, "Need to know anything else?"

Ginny shook her head. "I think it's best if we head upstairs now, though. I'm sure they'll be wanting to know what's happened. It has been some time . . . You know how Mum worries."

* * *

The next few days were lazy, though filled with anxiety, and a near blur to Ginny. Harry and Lupin left an hour after the incident, giving their goodbyes. Ginny shared an awkward one with Harry, who looked so upset and confused that Ginny simply shook his hand and ran upstairs to escape the situation. Lupin seemed to be in no hurry, but Ginny heard them saying that it was best if they got out as soon as possible, what with everything that had happened that day and such. Ginny, though angry at herself for admitting it, agreed.

Her mother had talked to her at length about Draco, about how she still thinks that some things are a little too hard to be changed that quickly. Hermione had convinced Ron and Bill on Draco's character, simply because she was tired of the heated arguments she and the whole house were having to endure. Ginny also suspected that Hermione wanted a chance to see just how persuasive she had gotten to be, as Ginny had told her about it the night Draco left.

The twins left the day after Draco did, along with Mr. Weasley, who was accompanying them for a night at the shop. He had told Ginny in confidence that it had nothing to do with safety or him not trusting the twins, but that it was more of seeing what kind of state the shop was in, and if they were dealing with more than they could handle. Her mother thought along the same lines, but Ginny knew that she wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon, especially since it would only be Bill and Ron there to defend the house. Ginny didn't even bother to throw Hermione's name, as well as her own, into that list, as she knew it would do no good.

She was hoping, secretly, that her mother would leave, giving her a chance to slip off and look for Draco. It was silly for her to miss him after three days, but it wasn't something she could help. It was impossible for Ginny to think about anything else, which was starting to make Hermione a little angry at her, as it was all that she wanted to talk about. Though, Ginny could nearly say the same for Hermione's wild rants about how annoying Ron could be. Ginny could only agree with her so much before starting to see a little too much of a pattern.

Now Ginny sat in the livingroom, drinking coffee and staring out the window. Hermione and Ron were upstairs, still asleep as far as Ginny knew or cared, and her mother was out in the garden. The day was cold and mucky, but still Mrs. Weasley insisted upon cleaning out the last little bit of plant and other debris. Left to her own devices, Ginny simply stared out the window with even less vigor than before.

Bill was in the kitchen, and Ginny was half tempted to see what he was up to. Fleur would be asleep now, and it would probably be the best time for her to catch him alone. Ginny was starting to miss the time she used to spend with her brothers, and with her friends for that matter. Being out of school for this long was starting to make even less sense to her. With Harry and Lupin out fighting for the end of it all, it seemed that the school would be safe enough for her to attend. All of the cynicism and loneliness she had felt before was forgotten as she thought of classes and talking to people her age. She would even be happy to talk to the school en masse about Harry if it would mean being with someone different.

Ginny jumped as someone started to come down the stairs, causing her to spill her coffee a little on the couch. Ginny sighed and set the cup down, wiping at the coffee a bit before standing to greet whoever had woken up. Hermione yawned as she entered the livingroom, stopping slowly in front of Ginny.

"Good morning," she said. "Are you the only one up?"

"No, Mum's outside and Bill's off in the kitchen." Ginny looked at Hermione shortly, "When did you get to bed?"

Hermione looked at her wearily, "Really late. Harry sent me a letter and it only arrived at about eleven, and I just had to reply to him immediately . . . I know how impatient he tends to get when I wait."

Ginny's curiosity got the best of her. "Harry wrote you?"

"Yes," she yawned, "about you, actually. He's sent two since he left, and I expect another today."

"He's writing you about me? Why isn't he just sending me a letter?"

Hermione shrugged, "I suppose he just doesn't want you to know."

Ginny laughed, "Then why are you being so open about it?"

"I'm tired of it, I guess. I just wish he would tell you, like you said, but I know he's too stubborn for that. Of course, I'm sure you're just as stubborn too, which means that this won't end no matter what I tell you. Which means that me even saying anything about it is utterly pointless."

"No," Ginny said. "It's not pointless. I'm not _that_ stubborn. Of course, I probably won't say anything to him . . . maybe it is a bit pointless."

Hermione shook her head and walked past Ginny into the kitchen. Slowly, Ginny followed her, spotting Bill at the table. He was fast asleep, his head resting in his hands. To her amusement, Ginny noticed a small drool bubble in the corner of his mouth. Hermione walked over to him, pushing on his shoulder to rouse him. Looking tiredly up at the two of them, Bill yawned and sat up.

"Guard duty is killing you," Ginny said to him, sitting next to him. "How late were you out last night?"

Bill shrugged, "I think I was supposed to be relieved at midnight, but no one ever came. Everything's slightly thrown off, what with Tonks and Lupin not here . . . shifts are all screwed up."

Hermione set a cup of coffee in front of him. "Who was supposed to come and take up for you?"

"I think it was Kingsley, actually . . . though, I can't be too sure. I think he was taken from guard duty, as he's now an aid to the Prime Minister . . . Of course, no one has all of the information anymore."

Ginny gave him a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Honestly . . ." he looked shortly at the two of them before continuing, "I think the Order is falling apart."

Hermione looked confused, "But, if you're all still out doing your duties, and people are still on the inside, and Harry is out doing his part for the cause . . . how can it be falling apart?"

"All of those things are happening, yes, but you see . . ." Bill sighed, then continued, "it's becoming nearly impossible for us to keep things on a schedule. Numbers of people have died, and even more are simply dropping out to go into hiding. Once they head that Harry was about to go on some quest to defeat Voldemort, and don't even ask me how they know, they all decided that it was silly to continue with the Order. In my opinion, I think this is going to prove to be more trouble than it's worth in the long run . . ."

"The Order is?" Hermione asked dubiously.

Bill shook his head, "Not the Order, I mean Harry's little journey. I don't want to explain why, simply because I don't like the idea of coming off as a sod who knows nothing of which he speaks. Yet, I know that Mum and Dad have been thinking along the same lines."

"They have?" Ginny asked. "Why would they doubt Harry?"

"It's not that we doubt him. It's more that we think this could all be done with a little more . . ."

". . . organization and tact." Hermione added helpfully.

Bill nodded, "Exactly. It's all just becoming a little too public for my taste. I know that Harry has no idea, but still . . . most of the wizarding world has been waiting for him to step in and defeat the Dark Lord again, I mean he _is_ Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived and all . . . I just think it's too much too soon, and that it is being done with far too much promotion."

"Harry isn't promoting himself," Ginny said harshly. "He's done nothing but try and keep this a low-key operation. It's all this silly talk in the Order, and people getting a little too worked up. In my opinion, I think all of this talk of the Order disbanding is just you worrying too much . . . something our family seems to do an awful lot of. Harry's only trying to do his best. Don't blame all of this disorganization and disloyalty on him."

Hermione and Bill stared at her. Ginny blushed slightly, but didn't calm down. Bill stared straight ahead, took a long sip of his coffee, and sighed. The silence in the room was getting to Ginny, who wanted nothing more than to keep going, but she knew that Bill had something to say, and that he was just trying to be dramatic by postponing his response. Hermione bit her lip and looked wearily at Ginny.

Finally, Bill turned to her. "Ginny, I know Harry isn't promoting himself. I'm not trying to make him out to be the one at fault, or trying to place misguided blame on his shoulders. I think you two have a right to know what's going on . . . and I'm just trying my best to fill you in. People talk in this society. They talk much more than they should, just because they're looking for hope. Someone overheard Lupin or Tonks, perhaps, talking about the mission, and now the Order is trying to keep up with our own duties as well as keep this information from falling into the wrong hands."

Ginny sighed, "Why didn't you just say that in first place."

Hermione laughed slightly, causing Bill to put his face in his hands. "Well, why would Lupin and Tonks be telling people about the mission?"

Bill shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine, Hermione. They could have been asking for some sort of aid, trying to locate something, or even just chatting with an old friend. Of course, I doubt the last one . . . I like to have more faith in them than that."

"So, you think they aren't keeping a low enough profile, then?" Hermione inquired.

"Not at all," Bill took another sip of his coffee, then continued, "I'm not so worried about what they said. We all —that is the Order, myself, and my parents— just want to keep whoever all knows about this from spreading the news, which they have been doing at alarming speeds. Of course, our own scheduling and meetings have sort of . . . kept us from that duty."

"I doubt that anyone too dangerous has found out yet. I mean, most of Voldemort's gang will be out with their own agendas . . ."

Bill leaned forward a bit, "Well, you see . . . they'll be out trying to find information. They could be taking hostages and torturing them for this kind of stuff. Or, as most of the lesser-known Death Eaters still can slip into crowds without rousing suspicion, they could simply overhear it."

Ginny sighed, "So, what you have been saying is that you don't want anyone to spread gossip like this, as the Death Eaters are still at large and could hear."

"Yes," Bill said. "Now, if you two don't mind, I would like to go upstairs and get some rest. That is unless you two aren't done questioning me . . ."

Ginny laughed, "I think we're quite through with you. Now, go to sleep."

"Yes, _mother_," Bill said teasingly, heading out of the kitchen.

As soon at his footsteps faded off into the distance, Hermione turned to Ginny. "You don't think that Harry is in danger, do you?"

Ginny shrugged. "On one hand, I could see that . . . of course, on the other hand, you have to realize how strong he's gotten, and also who he has for company."

Hermione sighed and looked down at the table. "I just would hate to think of some Death Eater finding out and going off to kill Harry."

Though she didn't want to admit it, Ginny knew that possibility was high. Of course, in her eyes, she could see that Harry could more than handle himself. He would have to face this eventually, as it's always been a certain obstacle for him. This battle and all of the searching was beginning to become a bigger burden than any of them could handle.

"Also," Hermione said quietly, "after what happened the last time he was here . . . We all know that Harry has a tendency to let things add up inside of him."

"Let's hope that's not the case this time," Ginny said softly.


	27. Chapter 27

_Chapter Twenty-Seven_: **Shock

* * *

**

The day passed slowly. Hermione and Ron sat in the livingroom talking with Ginny, though she was determined to listen rather than say anything. A few hours had passed like this, and Ginny was getting tired of listening to the endless talk of Harry. She found herself starting to get annoyed at the mere mention of his name, but not because of their relationship. She had found it annoying in the same respect of when her family had been constantly talking about her capture, and asking her what had happened and who she had seen . . . it was just too much of the same thing. She knew that Harry would probably be just as irritated as she was if he knew of everyone's constant gossiping over him.

Maybe she was being harsh, but it was still too much for her. As of now, Hermione and Ron were still theorizing over what Bill had said, as Hermione had felt the need to fill him in also. Every time they directed a question to Ginny, she simply agreed, or mumbled about nothing until they decided that it would do them no good to involve her. Of course, the latter tactic only worked for about ten minutes, at which time they would forget that she wasn't going to cooperate and attempt another stab at a conversation.

"The Order falling apart is still too much to comprehend," Ron said for the third time in two hours. "I mean, it never seemed like the biggest group or anything, but it would just seem like it'd be. . . I don't know, more concrete."

Hermione sighed, "Well, with Dumbledore gone and no one really left to restore fellowship, I can see how it would end up that way. Not to say, that is, that people like your parents and Lupin aren't doing a good job in taking over where Dumbledore left off . . ."

"I know what you mean. Still, without the inside information that they used to have, what sort of fellowship could they manage?" Ron leaned against the couch more, scratching his head. "I know this is sort of . . . a touchy subject, but without Snape--"

"They'll do just fine without _him_."

Ron stared at Hermione. Her cheeks were slightly pink, and Ginny could tell that he was surprised at her reaction. Normally, Hermione was the one to begrudgingly offer the blunt bits of reality, such as the need for a spy at times like this. It was odd for Ginny to see this role switched to Ron, who appeared to be just as stunned at the change as she was. Hermione, however, was sulking, a right Ginny would have never thought Hermione would allow herself.

Ron looked at Ginny for a sign of what to do. Ginny bit her lip and looked at Hermione. "He doesn't mean that we can't manage, it's just that it was nice to have that extra information. And now that _he_ is gone . . . it'll be harder to know what's happening and how to catch it before it becomes too much to handle."

Hermione sighed, looking at Ron and completely ignoring Ginny, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did. You were only trying to increase the discussion . . ."

"It's fine," Ron said to her, smiling slightly.

This all made Ginny very angry, but she did all that she could not to say anything about it. She supposed that Hermione's actions were only payback for what she had been doing to them. Of course, it could also be something else, but that topic was better left for later and more private discussion with Hermione. Ginny didn't like the thought of embarrassing one of her only friends.

Sighing, Ginny stood up. As Ron made protest, she shook her head. "I want to go for a walk. I'm tired of sitting in here and talking . . . in general."

Hermione looked at her understandingly, "Do you want company?"

"No, I think it's best if I'm alone for a bit." With one last look at the two of them, Ginny walked to the door, opening it to the cold outside.

Snow had just fallen, causing the land to look frozen and bright. The light reflecting off of the powdery white snow made Ginny squint as she walked around to the back yard. The sun was out, but it's light was muted against the gray sky. Walking outside would have been more enjoyable if Ginny hadn't forgotten her cloak, or even a simple coat for that matter. Shivering against the cold wind, Ginny walked in spite of the cold.

She found herself walking off into the woods, a place she always felt at home in. The trees were covered with dusty snow, making the place look very different. When she came to a low clearing, Ginny ducked down and sat in the snow, leaning against the trunk of a pine tree. With so much happening around her, it was nice to get out of the house. She hadn't been able to get away since all of this started happening, at least not completely on her own. She didn't want to reflect anymore, but she found herself doing it nonetheless.

Through the trees, Ginny could see the sun starting to set. She wasn't sure if she should stay out longer, or if she should go back inside. She decided to sit a little longer, wanting to watch the night appear through the branches of the trees. Wrapping her arms around her shoulders, Ginny sighed, shivering slightly, but still keeping warm enough.

Draco would hopefully be contacting her soon. All of the hours spent without talking to him were starting to drag her down. She felt silly, like she had about missing Harry so much. The irony of the flip of roles was almost amusing to Ginny. If she had told herself a month ago that she would be feeling this way about Draco Malfoy, she was sure that she might have died from shock. Though she always tried to handle most situations rationally, Ginny was still filled with those moments of uncertainty.

She went back to thinking about what Hermione had told her. Harry was writing to her about his lingering feelings for Ginny. As much as it angered her, Ginny had to admit that it shouldn't have come as such a shock. It was easy for her to see how Harry could be angry, maybe even forcing himself not to talk to Ginny for fear of saying something he didn't want to say. Ginny knew that she still had a bit more in her for an argument for him, though she always had fuel for an argument with most anyone. She cared for Harry, but she couldn't see how worrying about him all the time would be a good thing. Sighing, Ginny stood up, hoping to get inside and hide her thoughts once more.

The night had finally fallen, and Ginny dusted some snow from her jeans and her back. Ducking back out of the trees, Ginny breathed in deeply as she made her way back to the house. A few lights were on upstairs, and Ginny could see Hermione through an open window. Curiously, she was in Ron's room. Ginny smiled to herself, picking up her pace a bit to solve this mystery.

As she opened the door to the livingroom. Ginny's suspicions heightened as she saw that both Hermione and Ron were missing. Hastening to the stairs, Ginny made her way to Ron's room with mounting curiosity. Standing outside of his door, Ginny heard hushed voices. She breathed in once more, making up her mind on whether or not to open the door, or to turn back and forget about all of this. Shaking her head, Ginny turned and flung the door open, nearly laughing aloud at the sight she saw.

Hermione and Ron stared red-faced at Ginny, looks of matching horror etched into their faces. Their hands quickly moved from each other's hair and to their laps, looking away from Ginny innocently. Finally allowing her laughter to take over, Ginny nearly fell to the floor in tears. Hermione looked at Ginny pleadingly, standing up and adjusting her clothes.

"Come on," she said quietly, "stop laughing! It's not funny . . ."

Ron stood up also, his face still bright red. Ginny stopped laughing long enough to look back up at them, embarrassed and ready to drop through the floor to escape the situation, before returning to her fit of hysterical laughter. Just as Hermione made her way to stand back by Ron, the door opened wider.

"What's going on in here?" said Bill, looking from a laughing Ginny to the blushing Ron and Hermione. A sly smile spread across his face.

"No," Hermione tried to protest, "not you too!"

Ginny laughed even harder as Bill started to chuckle. Hermione gasped as two more of the family came into the room. Mrs. Weasley and Fleur peered inside, looking between everyone.

"Goodness," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling pleasantly, "there's one less thing to worry about."

Fleur covered her mouth daintily as she giggled. Bill shook his head, stemming his laughter and leading Fleur out of the room. Mrs. Weasley shook her head, still grinning, and followed them out. As soon as the door was closed, Hermione walked up to Ginny and hit her on the shoulder.

Ginny stared at her, "What the hell was that for?"

Hermione simply glared and returned to the bed, slumping down and folding her arms. Ron looked at Ginny, his face returning to a more natural hue. He shifted on his feet gingerly.

"I'll leave you two alone now," Ginny said slyly. Turning and opening the door, she left them with one last comment, "You shouldn't be mad at me, you know . . . now you don't have to hide up here anymore!"

Ginny quickly ran out, dodging a well-aimed pillow in the process.

* * *

The very next night, Ginny awoke to the sound of tapping on her window. Her heart leapt as she saw the familiar eagle owl tapping insistently on the glass. Opening the window quickly, she caught the bird before it could fly away from her. Ignoring its anger at being captured, Ginny hastily removed the parchment from its leg, letting it go and fly out the window. She sat there with the letter, the green ribbon tied around it and the same scrawled signature all that she could focus on. Slowly, she untied the ribbon and unfurled the letter.

**Ginny**,

_I know it's been too long for you without word from me, but this letter does not bring good news._ _Snape has just returned with news that our hiding spot may have been found. He's making arrangements for us to move, but I think it is in vain. My mother and I are going to be found, I can feel it. If you can, please go to my house to intercept Snape, as well as to find out more. As much as I know you'll be inclined to go this alone, I insist that you bring others. Don't worry about Snape, he's good. Just please hurry._

**Draco**

She read the letter again, making sure that her anxiety wasn't getting the better of her, causing her to see the letter that she had been most dreading to see. As she slowly finished the letter again, she felt tears coming to her eyes. Breathing heavily, Ginny flung the blankets aside, running out of the room with the letter in hand. She made her to the livingroom, hoping that someone was still up. Hermione wasn't in the room, so she suspected that they were all still up and talking.

She found Ron and Hermione sitting in the livingroom. Slowly, Ginny walked to them.

"What is it?" Hermione asked worriedly. "You look as if someone's died, Ginny."

Without a word, Ginny handed the letter to Hermione. Ron made a move to read also, but Hermione swatted at him, causing him to retreat. Ginny sat down between the two of them, waiting for Hermione to finish.

Hermione finished, turning to Ginny. Her face reflected all of the emotions that Ginny had been hoping she wouldn't see. Hermione looked slightly angered, but still compassionate.

She sighed, "Ginny, you need to talk to Bill about this. I don't even know where to begin."

"Hermione, this is no time to give into grudges," Ginny said. "Please, just forget about it for now."

Hermione shook her head, "I can't. Look, talk to Bill. He and Fleur are in the kitchen."

"What's happened?" Ron asked.

Ginny handed him the letter, getting up and heading to the kitchen. She would have to tell Bill this face to face. She didn't want to get the same reaction as she had before, and she knew that in order to get her point across, it would be best for her to dictate her feelings completely aloud. She found Bill sitting at the table with Fleur, both of them talking quietly. They turned to Ginny as she came into the room, wonder in their eyes.

"Bill, I need to talk to you," Ginny said.

Fleur looked confused, "Would you like for me to leave?"

Ginny nodded, "Sorry."

"No," Fleur shook her head. "I understand. I will talk to you later, Bill."

As Fleur gave him a kiss on the cheek and headed out, Ginny took a place on the other side of Bill, trying to calm herself a bit before she told him what had happened. Bill sat quietly, listening with intent and understanding. It was much easier than she had thought it would be. As she finished, she waited for him to come at her with all sorts of questions, or protests at going off, or even harsh comments about Snape. To her shock, he did the exact opposite of all of those things.

"We'll leave in the morning," he said. "Hermione and Ron will be coming also, I presume?"

Ginny sat there frozen. "I suppose so."

Bill nodded, then stood up, patting her on the shoulder, "Go and get some rest. We'll deal with this all in the morning."

In confusion, Ginny followed his orders, returning to the livingroom. Hermione looked at her questioningly.

"We're leaving in the morning." Without even waiting for their confusion, Ginny headed to her room.


	28. Chapter 28

_Chapter Twenty-Eight_: **Haste**

**

* * *

**

The sun hadn't even begun to set when Ginny was shaken awake. She had slept only by the good grace of her ability to push things out of her mind, making her sleep much deeper than she had hoped it would be. Hermione stood over her, fully clothed and wearing a cloak to boot. Sighing, Ginny sat up, wiping her eyes and yawning. Hermione went to the wardrobe, tossing Ginny some jeans a thick sweater, along with a traveling cloak that the twins had bought for Ginny on her sixteenth birthday. Hermione left the room without a word, leaving Ginny to get ready in solitude.

Ginny dressed slowly, the dark room filling her with unease. When they met up with Snape, what would happen? Would he even still be there? What had Draco meant when he said that he had a feeling? Her heart beat faster as she clasped her cloak around her shoulders and got her wand from the dresser. She looked at her broom for a moment, but decided against grabbing it. She wouldn't be able to Apparate alone, but she supposed that was how they would get there. Grabbing a hair tie from her dresser, she swept her red hair up and twisted it hastily into a bun and tied it.

She heard voices down the hall as she stepped out of the room. She could hear Bill talking to their mother. She sounded slightly worried, but Ginny knew that she would allow them to go. Though she knew that it wouldn't result in anything horrible Ginny kept herself from going to join in the discussion. She supposed it would be best to just leave them alone.

Walking down the stairs, she spotted Ron and Hermione leaning against the wall in the livingroom talking. Ron was ready also, but looked slightly green in the face. Hermione was holding his hand and whispering to him. Ginny couldn't help rolling her eyes in a sort of amusement. Continuing into the livingroom, Ginny came to a stop in front of them. Ron sighed and looked at her encouragingly, though the way he did so wasn't very comforting.

"Is he still upstairs?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Yeah," Ginny bit her lip. "How long have they been talking?"

Hermione shrugged, "They've been in there ever since we woke up."

"How long has that been?"

"About half an hour," Ron said. "We wanted to let you sleep a bit longer."

Hermione nodded, "You looked so peaceful."

"It's all right," she reassured them. "Thanks."

Ron and Hermione nodded as they heard a door open upstairs. Bill and Mrs. Weasley came down the stairs as Fleur came out of the kitchen in her sleeping clothes, carrying a cup of coffee. She gave it to Ginny and went to meet Bill at the bottom of the steps. Ginny sipped on her coffee as her mother came into the livingroom. Hermione and Ron shared a look of apprehension shortly, then returned to look expectantly at Mrs. Weasley, along with Ginny.

"She's fine," Bill said. "We'll be heading out as soon as you're ready, Ginny."

Ginny handed her cup of coffee to Hermione and went to her mother. "Are you sure you'll be okay with this? I don't want to make you worry."

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her daughter. "I know you'll be in good hands." She looked at Bill, "Please, be careful, dear."

Bill smiled at her, then stooped down to give her a hug. Hermione and Ron followed suit, hugging Mrs. Weasley fervently also. Ron had a hard time getting out of the hug, but was finally let go in favor a hug from Ginny, who embraced her mother just as fiercely as her mother did her. Looking up at her, Ginny smiled and let go. Mrs. Weasley looked as if she were about to cry as she stood next to Fleur, all of them simply staring at one another in silence.

Awkwardly, Bill kissed Fleur, then turned to Hermione and Ron. "Look, I know you two can't be looking forward to meeting Snape, but I ask you to hold you tongue. I don't want any harsh words spoken if we can help it. We're doing this for Ginny, as well as to save lives. There'll be time for questions later."

Hermione looked at him with a slight rebellion, but simmered down as Ron took her hand once more, giving it a slight squeeze. Ginny looked at them both shortly, then turned to Bill.

"Are we Apparating, then?"

Bill nodded, "You can do a Side-Along with me, as I'm the most experienced. We'll leave now, if you'd like."

Ginny nodded, "Yes, I think it's time. There's no point in waiting."

They all turned and said one last goodbye to Fleur and Mrs. Weasley. Ginny was the first to head outside, followed by Bill and Ron, then finally Hermione. They stood and waited for instructions from Ginny.

She stood for a moment in silence, trying to decide on what she was supposed to be telling them. She knew that they would head to Malfoy Mansion, though she wasn't sure if any of them knew where it was. Turning to Bill, Ginny posed this question.

"How will we know where to go?" Ginny asked him.

"I've been there before with Dad," Bill said. "He was doing a raid a few years back. I can find it fine. I briefed them on the location last night, though. I think we're all sorted out in that aspect."

Hermione nodded, "Yes, we can get there."

Ginny sighed, putting her hands on Bill's arm. Hermione was the first to go, then Ron disappeared after her. Ginny breathed in deeply as she felt herself being pulled after Bill.

* * *

The morning seemed even darker as Ginny stumbled to the ground. She had let go of Bill's arm as soon as she felt her feet hit the ground, but didn't give herself enough time to steady her legs. Inevitably, they fell out from under her, causing her to hit the ground. Ron stooped down and pulled her up, Hermione coming over to help her brush dirt from her cloak. After Ginny sorted herself out, she saw that Ron and Bill were already heading up a path leading through the woods they were in.

"Are we in the right place?" Ginny asked uncertainly.

Hermione sighed, "I think so . . ."

They quickly went to follow Ron and Bill, who were both walking as if they had been here a million times. Ginny supposed that Ron was just confident in Bill's directions, but she was doubting it herself. Hermione followed Ron closely, leaving Ginny at the end of the pack. Bill pushed aside some low branches and stopped, waiting for them all to gather around him at the opening.

"The house is just through these trees. I want you all to stay close, as there are traps set up. Make sure you follow my path exactly, as you might end up stepping into something you'll regret."

Ginny fought the urge to laugh at the last comment, and instead nodded along with everyone else. Ron kept up with Bill easily, but Hermione and Ginny had a little more trouble. They walked around suspicious saplings, as well as darker patches of grass. Bill shushed Hermione as she gasped as a mouse ran past them, walking over a dark patch of grass and being impaled by a stake which rose from the ground. Ginny cringed at the sight, but kept her cool. Hermione sped up and kept even closer to Ron after this.

Lights appeared through the trees as Bill came to the end of the path. They all stood waiting for him to tell them what to do next. Ginny looked through the trees. Standing in a large garden was Snape, who was looking around anxiously. Ginny had never seen him look so frazzled. Bill pulled her back from the trees suddenly.

"Wait," Bill said. Ginny stared at him. "I'm going to go out there first. You three wait for my signal."

Not even waiting for Ginny's protest, Bill parted the trees and slid out, leaving them there alone. Hermione stared after him, then at Ginny. Ron sighed loudly, pulling Hermione close to him. Ginny peeked through the trees once more.

Bill had now walked up to Snape, who was looking at him with both shock and relief. Bill began talking to him quickly, Snape casting glances behind Bill and to where Ginny was. Though she knew he couldn't see her, she couldn't help but want to hide as his eyes tried to see into the trees. She heard Ron say something quietly to Hermione, but ignored it. It wasn't her place to worry about them. She only cared about what was being said between Bill and Snape.

Just as she readied herself to turn back to Ron and Hermione and wait, Bill yelled.

"Come on out, there's no one else out here!"

Ginny jumped slightly, but pushed through the trees nonetheless. Walking quickly to Bill, she noticed Snape eyeing her with annoyance. She was completely shocked. Despite the situation and the confusion she was sure he felt, he still had the time to attempt and make her feel lowly in his presence. Ginny glared at him, but not enough for him to take offence. Snape stood a little taller as Ron and Hermione also emerged, hanging back a bit from the three of them. Folding his arms and staring at her with his nose slightly raised, Snape gave off a menacing demeanor. Ginny couldn't help but notice that his ability to intimidate her was waning slightly. Upon noticing this, she found herself addressing him without caution.

"Draco's told me that he might have been found," Ginny said. She relished shortly in the shocked look on Snape's face at her words. "He said that you knew more about it."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, waiting a bit before replying. "Yes, I do know more about it. What I'm not very knowledgeable about is as to why you are so worried about Mr. Malfoy."

Ginny scoffed, "Don't act like you don't know. I'm quite sure that he's told you."

Snape narrowed his eyes at her. "That doesn't mean that I'll tell you what you want to know. I feel that is something that grownups should deal with. You're just a child, Weasley."

Bill bristled at those words. "Now, wait one minute, Severus . . . that's no way to talk to my sister. Draco wanted her to be involved in this. He wouldn't have told her to come all the way out here if he didn't."

"That doesn't change the fact that it's entirely foolish to think that she'll have any effect on the situation," Snape said snidely. He turned to Ginny, his voice filled with less venom, "I can see where you might be concerned, but that doesn't mean that you can even attempt to understand this situation. What you know about all of this isn't even half of the whole fiasco. It is far too much to try and explain at this point."

Ginny looked at him sincerely, "I don't need to know anything other than the fact that he needs my help."

Snape eyed her with mild curiosity. Ginny could tell that his calm facade was fading fast. This situation _was_ out of their control, and that was probably why he was so reluctant to include her or any of the others for that matter. Ginny looked back at Ron and Hermione, who were edging a bit closer, as if to provide support for her. Bill put a hand on her shoulder and looked at Snape.

"Look, it might be very hard for you to believe, but we are all very capable of helping you. You are in a terrible place, we all know that, and we aren't here to judge you. Just let us help you, and please just help us."

"I . . ." Snape began.

Ginny could tell he was at a loss for words. "We don't want to condemn you now, Professor. We just want to help Draco."

"You don't understand!" Snape said furiously. "I _can't_ just tell you everything. It's all too much. There's so much that needs to be done! I want to help them just as much as you do, but I don't think that you can even do anything about it. This involves too much for you to get past. Too many obstacles are in the way. I don't even know where I would begin to prepare you for what we'd be doing."

Bill sighed, "You can't do it alone."

"I know that," Snape said impatiently. "You do realize who we're facing, don't you? We aren't just going to fight off one big person and get them back. We'll be going right into the heart of the battle. I can't go there _myself_, which makes it even more foolish to even think that you four could get in and out without any bloodshed."

"There's _always _risk involved. We know that. I wish you would stop treating everyone like they're half-witted and low compared to you! You have no right to treat us as inferiors, no matter who you think you are!"

Ginny's mouth gaped as she spun around to stare at Hermione. In the back of her head, she was cheering, but on the outside she couldn't even speak. Bill's hand had flown from Ginny's shoulder to his side as he too gaped at a fuming Hermione. Ron was staring at her with a sort of lovesick awe. Snape looked as if he had been punched in the gut.

After a few awkward minutes of silence, Snape finally regained his composure and strode up to look Hermione in the eye. Ginny covered her mouth with her hand in horror as Ron stepped back a little. Bill readied himself to go after Snape, but waited.

"You'll wait here," he said simply, then turned to Ginny. "You'll be waiting also, Miss Weasley."

Bill looked at him, "What?"

Snape sighed and looked at Bill with a sort of vehemence, "I'm caving in, don't question it. You and your brother have some things to discuss with me. The girls can wait here. I've had enough of them for now."

Ginny scowled at him as she walked over to Hermione, who was still standing motionlessly, as if she had just been slapped in the face. As the three men walked up a little closer to the house to talk, Hermione and Ginny watched them proceed.

"How can one man be so damn callous?"

Hermione didn't answer, but instead stared wide-eyedalong with Ginny.


	29. Chapter 29

_Chapter Twenty-Nine_: **Reckless

* * *

**

Ginny sat down in the garden with Hermione. The sun was beginning to rise, and Ginny was glad for it, as she was tired of feeling in the dark as well as sitting in it. Hermione picked at her cloak slightly, a look on her face that denoted that she had something to say. As much as Ginny hated to see Hermione stumble over her words, she was really in the mood to talk. They had done enough talking for her liking. It was time for action, and all of this conversing about unimportant things was beginning to grind on her last nerve.

Hermione looked at Ginny as if she had finally decided how to voice her thoughts, then froze at the look on Ginny's face. Quickly, Ginny changed the anger from her face into mild curiosity, as talking was much better than sitting in silence, no matter how she felt about the subject. This sudden change in expression seemed to urge Hermione on, just as it had been meant to do. She began slowly.

"Do you think that Professor Snape is angry at me?" Hermione asked.

Ginny stared, "Please don't tell me that you want to take back that insult. If you do, I might have to hit you."

Hermione shook her head, then looked down at her knees. "I just don't like the thought of him getting mad at me right now. This is a very delicate setting, and it seems a little juvenile to act this way with all that's happening."

"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?" Ginny couldn't help but ask.

Sighing, she looked over at Ginny warily. "It's just too much, isn't it?"

Ginny shrugged, "I suppose so. I always thought you were good enough in these sort of positions. You never seemed to show any sort of weakness before."

"I think it's just the anxiety of it all. I've never really been all that level-headed," Hermione clucked her tongue. "This is taking a bit long, isn't it?"

Ginny, glad for a different discussion, nodded. "Hasn't it been nearly an hour since they left?"

"Forty-five minutes," Hermione said, checking her watch. She looked at Ginny meaningfully, "How long should it take?"

"Not this long," Ginny said, standing up and looking toward the house. She couldn't see anything from where they were. "Maybe we should go up there."

Hermione looked up at her apprehensively, "What if it's nothing? We'll look stupid if we just run up there like something's wrong."

"That doesn't matter," Ginny said passively. "I think we should be included in the first place. Just because Snape seems to think he's running this operation doesn't mean that we don't have a say."

Hermione stood up, looking at Ginny with a sort of annoyance. "He's only been your boyfriend for a little while, Ginny. I don't know why you're so militant about all of this. Though I hate to stick up for him, Professor Snape really has more on the line here."

Ginny glared at Hermione. "If you hate to stick up for him, then _don't_. I wish you all would stop trying to make excuses for me. I'm doing this because Draco wanted me to, and because I care about him. I don't need to know him for years in order to care about him, Hermione."

Both of the girls stood, staring fiercely at each other. "I'm sorry, but it just isn't believable to me. While I understand how someone might fall in love with someone else, under those circumstances, I don't see how you could care about him more tha– more than . . ."

Ginny's eyes narrowed to slits, "Say it. Just say it already, Hermione. I know you've been aching to tell me off about this all week."

"Fine then!" Hermione yelled. "I don't see how you can suddenly care more for him than you did for Harry."

"You know why you can't see it, Hermione?" Ginny asked scathingly.

"Why is that?"

Ginny drew in a breath and stared Hermione hard in the eyes. "Because you never cared for Draco in the least bit. It always did you and Harry, and Ron even, more good to torture him than to be the bigger person. Don't even try to tell me that half of the conflicts that you all had couldn't have been solved by simply walking away, because I know better."

Her eyes wide with shock and her hands shaking, Hermione looked down at the ground. "You're right, but still . . . look at what you've done to Harry. I just . . . I don't understand how you could do that to him."

"And you can understand clearly how he could ignore me all summer and expect me to come back to him like everything was perfect? I'm not that kind of person."

They stood in silence now. Ginny could tell that Hermione was like she, and was not wanting to argue anymore. It was some senseless sort of pride that kept them going, but Ginny wasn't going to give into it anymore. She waited for Hermione to say something, but it never came.

Ginny sighed, "That's the end, then? No more?"

Hermione looked at her blankly, "I imagine so. What more could we say?"

"Not much, really . . ."

Their mutual silence was beginning to make Ginny uneasy, so she decided that it was time to look for the men. She looked at Hermione once more, still wanting to say more, but having no way to put any of it. Hermione nodded slightly, as if to show that she understood. With that, they made their way to the Mansion. The large house loomed before them, tall towers and a large front door. Ginny stopped short, just as they came up to the brick walkway that led them up to the door. The large porch and surrounding area were completely empty, with no one in sight. She yelled loudly.

"Damn!" She kicked the trunk of a tree. "It would happen that they'd just leave us here!"

Hermione looked around wildly, "Oh, they couldn't have just left! They'd never . . ."

"They would," Ginny said spitefully. "Actually, Snape would. That _bastard_."

"Stop calling him that! He might hear!" Hermione said, frightened.

Ginny simply glared at Hermione, who looked down at the ground guiltily. "What are we going to do?"

Hermione shrugged. "We could go inside and wait for them, I suppose."

Ginny shook her head. "No way. There's no telling what we'd find in there. I highly doubt that the house isn't guarded."

"We should at least try. Maybe they're inside."

Rolling her eyes, but complying nonetheless, Ginny followed Hermione up the brick walkway, standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to the porch while Hermione went up. She knew it was a waste of time, and she didn't feel like following her up. Hermione walked confidently to the door, and reached for the handle. That's when Ginny heard the rumbling.

"Hermione! Get off of the porch!" Ginny yelled.

Hermione stared at Ginny for a moment, then shrieked as the rumbling became louder. Running off and jumping down the stairs,she fell the ground just as the porch collapsed in on itself. Ginny liftedher from the ground, and watched as the porch assembled itself slowly again.

Hermione coughed slightly. "Well, I think you're right about them not being inside . . ."

"So," Ginny said calmly, "what do you suggest we do now?"

Hermione looked around a bit, apparently deep in thought. Ginny waited patiently as she did this, trying her best to come up with a plan of action also. They knew nothing about where Draco would be taken, or where Snape would have led Bill and Ron to. Two girls without a clue was what they were. Ginny sighed. There was only option in her mind, and she wasn't looking forward to that at all. Going back home meant sitting in the dark with her mother and a very worried Fleur, as well as not having anything to do but join in the worrying. That was the last thing Ginny wanted to do. Hermione turned suddenly and looked at Ginny excitedly. Ginny raised an eyebrow, waiting for Hermione to explain herself.

"Hogwarts!" Hermione said.

Shethought about it for a moment. "That's perfect!"

Hermione smiled proudly, "Of course it is. _I_ thought of it, didn't I?"

Before she had the time to tease Hermione, a thought came into Ginny's mind. "Wait a minute . . ."

"What?" Hermione asked apprehensively.

"How will we get there? I mean, sure . . . _you_ really have no problem. You can just Apparate to Hogsmeade and get to Hogwarts from there, but what about me?"

Hermione thought about this. "Well, we could call for the Knight Bus, couldn't we?"

Ginny shook her head, "We don't have any gold, Hermione. Unless, that is, you keep some on you all the time . . ."

"No . . . I didn't even think about it." Hermione was now wringing her hands together nervously.

Gasping, Ginny looked at Hermione hopefully, "We could do a Side-Along."

Instantly, Hermione shook her head fervently. "No . . . no, no. That wouldn't be a good idea at all. I don't have the experience! Any number of things could go wrong. I don't want to splinch either of us, or end up Apparating into an ocean or lake or something."

"But, Hermione . . ." Ginny mused, looking for a way to convince Hermione that it would work. "You're so good at everything. I believe you can do it. I mean, does it even mean anything to you that I _trust_ in your ability?"

"Ginny," Hermione began desperately, "It's too much! It has nothing to do with trust and all of that. It's too risky!"

"You're the brightest witch I know, Hermione. Everyone's always saying it. You passed your Apparation test easily. I know you can do this." Ginny gave Hermione her most reassuring face, as well as a persuasive smile.

Hermione lingered over the possibilities for a moment, looking around nervously, as if for a way out of the whole thing. She sighed loudly, still wringing her hands together. Ginny stepped forward a bit, ready to present more information to Hermione to boost her confidence, when suddenly Hermione threw her arms in the air out of frustration.

"Fine! I'll do it!" She looked at Ginny with a crazed sort of vehemence. "Come on then. Take my arm and let's get this over with."

Ginny placed her hands on Hermione's outstretched arm, gripping it tightly. Just as Ginny prepared for the Apparation, Hermione stopped and looked at Ginny cautiously.

"You're not going to blame me if anything does go wrong, are you? I mean, you wanted me to do this, and I'm only going along with it because it's the only way and---"

Ginny stopped her. "Don't worry . . . I won't blame you for a thing. We'll be fine, and once we get to Hogsmeade, we can find Professor McGonagall, and perhaps find out where to head next."

Hermione looked at Ginny thankfully, then planted her feet firmly on the ground, leading Ginny to do the same. After a moment of hesitation, Ginny finally found herself being pulled after Hermione.


	30. Chapter 30

_Chapter Thirty_: **Arrival

* * *

**

The ground appeared under her feet, a slight jolt running through her legs as they landed. Ginny exhaled loudly and steadied herself, letting go of Hermione's arm and trying to stop the dizzying sensation she was feeling. She tried to walk a few steps forward, but found her legs were rubbery and uneven. The area around her stopped spinning long enough for her to see Hermione's knees give out, causing her to hit the ground hard. Hermione winced sharply, gasping as she struggled to stand.

"Are you all right?" Ginny asked, bending down and putting one of her arms around Hermione in order to hoist her up.

As soon as Ginny stood her up, Hermione's knee popped loudly. "Ow!"

Ginny jumped at Hermione's howl of pain, but didn't let her go. "Can you stand?"

Hermione shook her head, tears streaming from her eyes. "I think it's dislocated, but if you set me down, I might be able to heal it."

Ginny nodded, lowering to the ground and letting Hermione sit. She knelt down beside her, watching as Hermione drew her wand from her robes and tried to steady her hand over her swollen knee. In a minute, Hermione whispered an incantation and let out a harsh breath as her knee's swelling went down, her leg shaking slightly.

"Is it done?" Ginny asked.

"It'll be fine for now," Hermione said. She stood up unevenly and looked around.

They were standing in the middle of an open field, snow-covered and unfamiliar. Ginny squinted, trying to get a feel of where they might be. She could see mountains in the distance, framed against the gray sky.

Hermione sighed, "We're close, but still . . ."

"How far do you think we are?"

Shrugging, Hermione looked around more. "I think that we're about a mile or so from it. This area looks familiar, but I can't be sure."

Ginny tried to find a house or any sign of people, but could see none. "How do we know which way to go?"

"I could try to Apparate us again," Hermione suggested. "Though, I think that might turn out badly."

"There's no point in not trying, is there?"

* * *

The landings were beginning to get old to Ginny now. She instinctively groped for Hermione's robes, grabbing her just before she hit the ground. Hermione looked at Ginny sheepishly, who let go of the robes and simply shook her head, a faint smile in place.

"I have to admit," Ginny said with slight awe, "the effects were quite minimal this time."

Hermione looked confused. "Effects?"

"Yes, the effects. I mean, I can see straight, for one thing . . . and I also seem to have no trouble walking."

The girls laughed loudly, both happy for some comic relief. Ginny finally stopped long enough to take in their surroundings. Ginny smiled as she saw the familiar bustle of a Hogsmeade visit playing out before her. Fellow, or rather _former_ fellow, students entered and exited shops around them, the closest of which was Dervish and Banges. She gave Hermione a thankful look before setting off without abandon into the village.

Ginny recognized Katie Bell standing outside of Scrivenshaft's as they passed. She waved at them absently, and Ginny had to laugh as she did a double take. Hermione pressed on further, Ginny now having to hurry to keep up with her. Though she was still limping slightly, Hermione was going surprisingly fast. They passed by all of the shops quickly, Hermione not even stopping to tell anyone hello until they came to the Three Broomsticks. Ginny stopped as she noticed two very familiar students staring at her.

"Luna!" Ginny breathed. She heard Hermione give a sigh of annoyance as Luna walked toward them. "Oh, you don't know how happy I am to see you."

Luna looked mildly shocked. Her large eyes looked Ginny and Hermione over. "You have twigs in your hair, Ginny. Very many of them, actually, and they're all small and quite noticeable."

Ginny laughed nervously, running a hand through her hair impatiently, "That's all right, Luna. Are you just getting here?"

Luna nodded, "We only just arrived a few moments ago. The professors had us all lined up and out in very little time at all. I think they were in a hurry to get us out of the school. Probably briefing the younger students on the harmful effects of prolonged exposure to pumpkin innards, which seem to have become the favorite item to throw at poor Filch. I think it's all of this Halloween business showing it's truly ghastly nature. I mean, who leaves pumpkin innards about for students to fling at one another any---"

"That's very nice, yes," Hermione said impatiently. "We need to find the Headmistress immediately, so if you could just tell us where she is, that would be very good."

"Hermione, don't be rude." Ginny smiled at Luna. "I always thought pumpkin innards were an unnecessary mess, myself."

"Really, Ginny," Hermione whispered angrily. "Don't egg her on!"

Ignoring Hermione's vexation, Luna indicated her companion slowly. "Neville and I were heading inside to get some butterbeer," she said slowly. "Would you like to come in with us?"

Ginny nodded, "That sounds very nice."

Ginny followed Luna to the entrance of the pub, Neville following after. Hermione pulled Ginny aside as the other two walked inside. Ginny glared at her.

"What is it now?"

"We don't have the time to socialize, Ginny." Hermione let go of Ginny. "I thought that you wanted to get to Draco as soon as possible."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "I _do_ . . . Neville and Luna are our friends though. And besides, if we're looking for the Headmistress, what better place to start than at the busiest pub in town?"

"You can't seriously think she'll be in there, can you?"

"No," Ginny sighed. "Look, we can't just go up to the school, unannounced. It might be nice to see if we can find a professor or someone to take us up to the school. I'd like to do this formally, if you don't mind."

"So, we'll just go in there and look for the most important person we can find?" asked Hermione sarcastically.

Smiling vaguely, Ginny nodded. "I guess so."

And with that, Ginny turned and went into the pub, followed by a very moody Hermione. They were greeted by calls of hello from students, Hermione herself even stopping to say hello to Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones. Trying impatience on for a size, Ginny waited with her arms crossed until Hermione finally finished and followed her to Neville and Luna's small table. Luna greeted them with an airy smile.

Neville smiled at Ginny as they sat down. "Have you two come to see Harry?"

"What?" Hermione asked, perplexed.

"I thought that you two might be coming to visit Harry. He's been here an awful lot lately," Neville said, his words coming out fast, as if he were getting increasingly more uncomfortable the more he spoke, "and so have some other important looking people. Of course, no one's told us very much, but Harry has stopped in to say hello a couple of times."

Ginny looked at them as if they were playing some sort of joke on her. "Harry's at Hogwarts? Why?"

Neville shrugged. "No one knows, really. They're all being very quiet about the whole thing."

"'They'?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Luna replied dreamily. "The professors, as well as everyone else involved, are doing a very nice job of keeping the student body in the dark. Harry came with four other people, all of which seemed to be very authoritative and secretive, much like Harry himself lately. He hasn't said much of anything to me, actually. Which, in all reality, is quite rude of him."

Ginny ignored Hermione's derisive snort. "Harry can be quite rude sometimes, yes. Have you heard anything else about all of this?"

Both Luna and Neville shook their heads. Hermione sighed and began to look around the room at the other people longingly. As her eyes stopped scanning, Ginny followed her gaze. Hermione was watching Professor Slughorn, who was headed to their table slowly but surely. Ginny groaned, not looking forward to this at all. Hermione turned her head.

"No," she said. "This is a good thing! He can take us to Professor McGonagall."

Ginny sat up a little in her chair. "You're right!"

Both girls watched Slughorn as he approached, seemingly urged on by their hopeful reactions. His full form moved through the tables with slight difficulty, but Ginny was amazed at how gracefully he seemed to handle himself. Just as she was pondering whether or not anyone would get mad at him for crashing into one of their tables, he arrived at their table. He addressed Ginny immediately, seeming to ignore the other occupants of the table.

"Miss Weasley! It's very nice to see you again!" he said loudly over the din of the pub. "What, might I ask, has brought you here?"

"We're sort of on a mission, if you will," Ginny began, not really sure how to explain this to him.

"Mission?" Slughorn asked. "What type of mission would this be?"

"Well . . ." Ginny looked at Hermione expectantly.

Hermione nodded at Ginny and stepped in, "We're looking for Professor McGonagall."

"Right, right . . ." he said absently. Then he stopped. "Wait, Professor McGonagall?"

Ginny had a sinking feeling. It seemed like he was just patronizing them at this point, and that he had no real want to help them at all. She sat in silence as Hermione gave him a very easy answer. She told him something about enrollment for next year and also that they had a message to deliver to her from Arthur and Molly Weasley. Ginny watched as Slughorn listened intently, finally drawn into some kind of willingness to help. Ginny supposed it might be the mention of an important message, but she could tell as soon as Slughorn replied that she was wrong.

"Wanting to continue your education, then? I think that is a top idea, yes!" Slughorn looked at Hermione. "Why are you sitting in here then? Come along, girls! I'll take you to her, if you would like."

Ginny smiled at him. "That would be very much appreciated, Professor."

Hermione stood and prepared to follow Slughorn out of the pub, but Ginny stayed in her seat for a moment, wanting to tell Neville and Luna goodbye. She turned to do so, but found that Neville and Luna were engaged in a deep sort of conversation, which left her feeling that it would be rude to interrupt. Ginny looked at them one last time, then quietly said goodbye. Just as she stood up, Luna turned her gaze to Ginny.

"If you see Harry," she said with surprising force, "you had better tell him that he needs to get his act together. I'll have none of this. Tell him that, will you, Ginny?"

Smiling, Ginny nodded. "I'll let him know for you. We all know how stubborn Harry can be some time."

"Indeed, but that leaves no excuse for his rudeness," Luna said, returning to her normal ethereal way of speaking. "Will I see you sometime later?"

"Definitely," Ginny replied. She waved farewell to them as she went to catch up with Hermione and Slughorn, who were waiting for her at the door.

* * *

**NOTE:** _I normally don't like to do these, simply because I find them tedious and somewhat useless, but I would just like to inform everyone that I have set the chapter limit to 40, of course, I doubt it will get up that high, but that is the longest it will be. We are nearing the end, folks! _


	31. Chapter 31

_Chapter Thirty-One_:** Understanding

* * *

**

Their footsteps echoed through the cavernous entrance hall, Ginny's eyes taking in all that she could as they made their way to see Professor McGonagall. Though she knew it might not be a happy occasion, Ginny couldn't help but feel nervous about seeing Harry again. It was a different kind of nervous . . . one she had never felt before for him. She felt _scared_, not excited. She felt _hesitant_, not hopeful. What would Harry say to her when he saw her here? Would he be angry? Would he be happy to see her? Would she be consumed by regret and hate herself for giving him up? Would she be strong and think of Draco, and how this was all for _him_, not Harry? She felt a headache coming on.

They stopped, waiting. Slughorn said something about heading them off instead of interrupting them. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't be the one initiating the meeting, and for that, she felt some ease. Of course, not enough. With nothing left to do but wait, Hermione was chatting animatedly with Slughorn about some of the new policies they had instated as a means to keep the school safe. Ginny wasn't into that kind of talk right now. All she could focus on was the empty school, and the sinking feeling that was settling in the pit of her stomach.

Neville and Luna had been happy to see her. Sure, a lot of other people would have been also, given she had stopped to talk to them. Maybe she was really missing school. She never thought she would want to come back again, not after all that had happened. Now she was back again, and under even worse circumstances. She wanted to be back in Hogsmeade, to simply enjoy a nice drink and talk with good friends. Hermione was her friend, but they had been around each other too long. And now, all Ginny could think about was getting away.

As much as she knew she should be worried about him, Ginny felt a calm when she thought of Draco. He was strong and his love for his mother might have been all that he needed to keep them safe. She could see him now, all heroic. Well, no . . . not _heroic_ . . . stubborn. That was a little more believable. Determined? Definitely. Hopeful . . . unlikely. As more doubts began to rise in her mind, Ginny had to swallow them down as she heard footsteps. She did so with one last sincere thought: _At least he'll know I tried._

Hermione stopped in mid-sentence as McGonagall came toward them. She did so with surprising swiftness, not even alarmed by their presence. Harry followed after her, not noticing them until he looked up to see why McGonagall had stopped. His eyes met Ginny's and held them. She could tell that he knew from their stares, as if he were picking up on what she was thinking word for word.

"Professor," Harry said, not looking away from Ginny, "I think our errand can wait."

McGonagall looked at Harry oddly, then at Ginny. She smiled slightly, and turned to Slughorn. "I think they need to be left alone . . ."

Hermione, who had been trying to keep up with Harry and Ginny's mental conversation, looked very confused. She turned to Ginny, who was still staring at Harry. Ginny noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that the Headmistress was the only one who wasn't staring at she and Harry at this point. It appeared that McGonagall was instead glaring at Slughorn, who seemed almost adamant at the thought of leaving now.

"Actually, I think it would be best for Hermione to accompany you two," Harry said finally.

Hermione looked at Harry indignantly. "Why are you trying to get rid of me?"

McGonagall put an arm on Hermione's shoulder, "Now, now . . . this seems to be more than we need to know."

"But I _already_ know, Professor!"

"They need their space, Miss Granger," McGonagall said, looking at her sternly.

Hermione pouted. "Where does that leave me, then?"

"Oh," Slughorn said, a smile on his face, "we'll find something to interest you, don't worry. Would you like to see some of the precautions I was telling you about?"

Hermione, forgetting Harry and Ginny, looked very interested. "Really? I thought you said that they were all done in secret? It sounded very interesting, I will agree, but I don't know if it would be safe to show me."

"Miss Granger, I think you are worthy of the privilege." McGonagall winked at Ginny over Hermione's shoulder. "Now, we'll be back to meet you two in the Great Hall for dinner. I trust that whatever has happened will be appropriate to leave in his care?"

Ginny nodded. "Of course."

The two professors nodded, McGonagall steering Hermione out the door behind Slughorn. Ginny stared at Harry for a moment. She was still in shock of the way he reacted, and how willing he seemed to be able to help. She wondered if he could tell that it had to do with Draco, or if Harry simply knew that something was wrong, and not the exact problem. Either way, she would be telling him soon, and that was a sobering thought.

"What's happened?" Harry asked her, coming a little closer. Ginny wished he wouldn't do that. "Why did you and Hermione come here?"

She thought of how to word it. Nothing seemed right. She couldn't even think of a simple reply. Harry must have seen the anxiety in her eyes, for he was now able to surmise the root of all of her hesitation with just one word.

"Malfoy."

Ginny nodded, feeling tears come to her eyes. Harry moved closer at this, as if by instinct. She wished that she could simply back away and compose herself, but she found that she could not. Instead, she stood there, letting a tear or two slide out, and waited for him to speak again.

"So, Malfoy's in trouble, and you came all this way, with only Hermione, because . . ."

Ginny sighed, wiping her eyes. "Bill and Ron originally planned to come with us, but not here. We went to see . . ."

Snape. _We went to see Snape, Harry. And you shouldn't be mad at him, because he's . . ._ the same as he ever was. Ginny felt her hands shake more as she avoided his eyes. She didn't know how to continue. She had never felt this helpless in her entire life. Telling the whole story meant hearing the whole anger, and hearing the whole anger meant feeling all of the guilt she had been withholding from herself. Slowly, she made an attempt to recover.

"We went to see what we could find from . . . well, I guess you could say that---"

Harry stopped her. "It's all right. Just tell me what you think has happened to Malfoy. We'll get to the other stuff later."

Ginny nodded dutifully, glad for the way Harry was willing to take charge. Standing up a little straighter, and attempting to sound confident in what she was saying, Ginny got on with it. She told him that Draco had written her about the possibility of his capture, as his hideout was known. With fervor, she explained about how she told Hermione and Ron, then Bill. They all agreed that it would be best to head out and to find him.

"I don't know where he could be, considering I have no knowledge about where he was, or where Death Eaters would take him to. All I know is that he's with his mother, and that they are in danger. I feel so lost, Harry," Ginny admitted. She sighed, looking at the floor and shaking her head. "I don't know where to begin looking."

"Well, as far as I know, you might be able to find him just by staying here."

Ginny eyed Harry curiously, "How is that?"

"The Order's sent us word, just last night, that Voldemort's been spotted close to here. We're able to figure, as there are no other places I could see him wanting to go, that he is headed to Hogwarts. We have about three more days before we start securing the school, and we're telling the students tonight. All of their parents were alerted as soon as we got to message."

Ginny was stunned. "Are they evacuating tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Harry said with a slight sadness. "We wanted to keep it open for another day or two, but parents were already angry enough at the thought of him being so close that we figured we shouldn't risk it."

"So, when do you suppose he'll actually get here?"

Harry mused on this for a moment. "Well, Lupin said something a week. So, I suppose we have about six more days now, as we found out yesterday."

"I suppose it's a good thing we came here," said Ginny, who was now feeling as if a weight was still being pressed against her chest. "I mean, quite convenient."

Harry nodded, but looked slightly worried. "It is convenient, but I still don't know if you two should be here. You especially shouldn't be here, Ginny."

She stopped feeling guilty for not telling him about Snape for a moment. "Why shouldn't I be here, Harry? Are you trying to protect me again, or something?"

"What is that for?" asked Harry with slight annoyance. "I was going to say that you shouldn't be here after what happened. He might want to kill you, Ginny. We took you away from him, and he might still be out to get you, to hurt me."

Ginny glared at Harry. "Why would he go after me when you're just as accessible? You're here, I should be fine, right? That's what you were saying, weren't you? Before all of this?"

Harry looked confused. "What are you talking about now?"

"Nothing." Ginny looked away from him, feeling her cheeks burning. She had just said something very personal to someone she was trying to forget about romantically, and now she was regretting it. "Anyway, I think that it might be best if we change subjects now."

"Right," Harry said, agreeing with a slight nod. "So, back to what you were saying before, about going to see someone. Where did you go, and how did you get separated from your brothers?"

Chewing on her lip, Ginny turned away from him slightly. "You don't want to know, Harry."

"Yes, I do."

"You really don't."

"Ginny, just tell me."

"No. You don't want to know. I know you, and I know that you won't want to know."

"Stop avoiding the subject and just tell me already. I can handle it."

"No, you _really_ can't. Stop asking!"

Harry glared at her, his annoyance seeming to grow more and more. "Stop acting like a damn child and just tell me, Ginny. I'm tired of this exchange."

"It was Snape."

He looked at her blankly, as if he had just been kicked in the stomach. "What did you just say?"

"Snape," Ginny said a little louder. "_Snape_, Harry. We went and saw him, and he took Bill and Ron off. He left Hermione and I there to wait for them, and didn't even tell us. So," she figured that talking and talking until he could forget about who they were talking about was her best bet at this point, "Hermione tried a Side-Along Apparation and we ended up a mile or so outside of here. She tried again, and we got here. I saw Luna and Neville, too."

Harry still looked incredibly frozen. "Snape. I . . . is he going to be coming here?"

Ginny almost felt her heart stop. "Harry, no. You aren't going to . . . no. Just stop thinking like that. Please, I don't trust him any more than you do, but he's all I have to rely on right now. He's been loyal to Draco---"

Harry's eyes flashed dangerously. "Loyalty. Don't make me laugh, Ginny. Snape doesn't know a damn thing about loyalty."

"Stop this," Ginny pleaded. "Look, you'll have to trust him for now, Harry. Bill and Ron are relying on him. Do you want to really jeopardize that?"

"I know he won't . . ." Harry stopped.

Ginny reached forward, taking his hand without thinking. She looked him in the eyes. "It's going to be all right if we can just stick together. Put it out of your mind and just help me, Harry. Don't you want to help me?"

He wasn't looking at her anymore. He was staring at their hands. _Not right now. Please, not now . . . _she thought. Ginny closed her eyes tightly, letting go and stepping back. She felt Harry come closer, and she wanted to just run. Turning her head, as a warning and as a means to preserve some of her sanity, she whispered to him.

"Don't do it. Just . . . don't. We have to focus, Harry."

Opening her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that Harry had stepped back, now looking rather shy. She searched for a way to make the situation lighter. Smiling, she turned to Harry.

"Luna told me something slightly upsetting, you know."

Harry looked at her oddly. "Luna's always filled with rather upsetting news, isn't she?"

Ginny laughed, "No, she said that you had been quite rude to her."

"Oh . . . how is that? I haven't even seen her yet."

"That's just it, Harry." Ginny tried to keep from laughing more. "She says that you had better get your act together, you know. You should probably say hello to her tonight, before she leaves."

Smiling, Harry nodded. "I suppose I can face that. Of course, if you're forcing me into this situation, you know that makes you obligated to be there, right?"

"Sure, Harry," said Ginny, rolling her eyes. "I'll talk to Luna with you, if you'd like."

"Anything I should look forward to hearing about? Besides the usual Luna topics, of course . . ."

Ginny put on a very serious face, "Well, she says that there have been several horrible pumpkin attacks recently. Pumpkin innards, I should say. She says that they're everywhere now."

Harry simply shook his head, walking away. Ginny, smiling to herself and breathing a sigh of relief, followed him. They still had a bit more to discuss. At this time, she supposed it would be a bit easier to come up with a plan of action. Now that she had broken some of the major news to him about Snape, the hard part was over. All that was left was finding Draco before something bad happened. And, hopefully, receiving some sort of news from her brothers.


	32. Chapter 32

_Chapter Thirty-Two_: **Awakened

* * *

**

Ginny sat up slowly on the couch in Gryffindor tower. Hermione lay, legs over the arm, in the biggest chair she could find, wrapped in a large gold blanket. Ginny yawned as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Hermione up yet. Slowly, she crept through the tranquillity of the common room and out of the portrait hole.

The halls were empty, and Ginny didn't mind that she was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. She ran her fingers through her hair as she walked down to the Great Hall, hoping that she might find Harry there. As she opened the large door, she heard voices, but kept on. Met with a hushing and staring from the two men standing in the room, Ginny stood awkwardly.

Lupin let out a sigh of relief, smiling at Ginny. Harry nodded at her, not smiling, but not showing any sign of unease or impatience. She took this as a means to join them, both of them standing next to Gryffindor's table. Ginny wondered if their positions were them being sentimental, or if it was just natural for them to want to be there. Either way, she came to stand by them.

"Did you sleep well?" Harry asked.

Ginny nodded. "Under the circumstances, yes."

Nodding, Harry turned to Lupin. "We were just talking about that . . ."

Lupin smiled at Ginny. "Yes, we were. I was hoping that you would be able to show me the letter that was sent to you."

"Oh," Ginny bit her lip, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing the folded letter. "Here you go."

Lupin took it, but left it folded. He noticed the curious look on their faces. "I have to check it's credibility later. Of course, not that I don't trust you or Draco . . ."

"It's all right. You don't have to explain anything."

Harry looked at Ginny shortly, as if shocked by her statement, but said nothing. She knew what he was thinking. Why was she so calm with Lupin? Ginny didn't really know for sure, but she supposed that it was due to how calm Lupin was being with her. It was something about his silent trust in her that made it hard for Ginny to get distressed. She had felt the same the night she was taken. Ginny stopped thinking about all of this for a moment, as Lupin was making another move to speak.

"I want you to go and get Hermione up," Lupin told her. "When you two are ready, you should come down here and get some breakfast, and when you're done, meet us in the Headmistress's office."

Ginny nodded, making a move to leave. Harry stopped her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm coming with you," he said. He turned back to Lupin, "If that's all right with you, of course."

Lupin simply nodded understandingly, "That's fine. It'll give me some time to run this letter through some tests. Just make sure you're at the office by the time classes start. It'll keep us from getting interrupted."

Harry began to leave the room. "We'll be there."

Ginny smiled at Lupin once more, then followed Harry out, curious as to why he wanted to come with her, but not ready to ask. The door closed behind her loudly, echoing along with their steps as they headed for the stairs.

"Do you think that it might have been a fake?" Ginny asked Harry.

He looked at her dubiously. "Why would I think that?"

"That's what I wanted to know."

Sighing, he shrugged. "At this point, we can't rule out that possibility. Of course, I don't know if Malfoy would lie to you about something like that . . ."

"I know what you're thinking. I've thought it too. Many times."

"You couldn't think what I am. You wouldn't allow yourself to."

Ginny scoffed, stopping. "Just because I might love someone doesn't mean that I refuse to see bad in them, Harry. I'm not that closed-minded."

Harry laughed slightly, as if trying to lighten the mood before they got into an argument. "I know. It's just that I don't think you could believe it."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Ginny began to walk again. Harry followed her.

"So," Harry began cautiously, "you don't think that he's doing this as a means to catch you for . . ."

Ginny thought for a moment, trying to reply in such a way that Harry would see no reason for doubt, just as she did. She couldn't think of any such way to do it, so she simply shook her head.

He smiled at her. "That's what I thought. I guess that I can see _your_ point to it . . . I mean, if he was running from Voldemort in the first place, then there was really no way for him to redeem himself. I don't think that Voldemort would forgive him, not even if he caught you. Malfoy probably knows that."

"That's pretty much it, minus the part where you insinuate that Draco would sell me out for redemption from Voldemort. He's not that man anymore, Harry. Get over it."

"I didn't insinuate anything." Harry looked at her blankly.

"Whatever, Harry," Ginny said as they turned down another silent hallway. "Let's just talk about this later . . ."

For once, Harry didn't argue with her. Ginny didn't dwell on it for too long. She was too busy trying to focus on what she was going to tell McGonagall when it came to the subject of Snape. Shaking her head slightly to herself and breathing in, Ginny decided to wait until the time came to make any sort of decision. McGonagall was understanding enough. She'd see reason . . . hopefully.

* * *

Harry sat down next to Ginny in the office, Hermione nodding off slightly in her chair as Tonks came in. Lupin sat at the farthest end of the line of chairs, all arranged to face McGonagall, who was sitting attentively behind her desk. Tonks took her place next to Lupin, looking very tired. Ginny could feel the mounting tension building in the air, despite Hermione's soft snores. 

They spent the first half hour simply talking about plans. There seemed to be so much for them to do, and to Ginny, it was all so tedious. The students were being taken out of the school in three hours time, and she and Hermione were being asked to help. Hermione, who was shook out of her stupor politely by Tonks, agreed for the need of immediate removal. Ginny, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

"Morale is too low," Lupin said to her. "I can see how you might sympathize with those who want to stay, but . . . it's simply too dangerous."

"It's not that I want them to stay and fight . . . I just think it's so soon. Things are moving very fast." Ginny said slowly, trying to stress her point.

Tonks smiled bitterly, "That's how things tend to go in times like these. It's always one or the other, this way and that . . . so much is happening at once. We've _got_ to be fast. What do you think the opposition is doing? They aren't going to move slowly just because it doesn't feel right. Like us, they know they have to keep on their toes."

Harry snorted, "You're sounding more and more like Moody every day."

McGonagall and Lupin both smiled faintly at that comment. Tonks looked slightly annoyed. Ginny was too interested in the topic of the opposition to find any amusement. She looked at Tonks intently.

"Do you know anything new about what's going on, then?"

Tonks nodded, "Well, sure . . . we learn something new about Voldemort every day. Of course, being the times and the setting and who I am talking to, I don't think I can really fill you in . . ."

Ginny could feel her face getting red from anger. She held her tongue, looking over at Hermione, who was already watching her with caution. Harry looked slightly sympathetic, but still strong. She knew he wouldn't tell her anything other than what he already had. Bitterly, she wondered if they had learned anything about Draco, and if they were simply holding out on her. Lupin seemed to sense her thoughts.

"If we find out anything, you know we'll come straight to you," he said very seriously.

McGonagall seemed to pick up on it also. "I suppose you have a lot on your mind, just like all of us, but I think you would agree that it is best if we focus on more pressing matters. You and I might talk about this more later, as this is not the time for that. For now, I would like to discuss what you and Miss Granger shall be doing for us today . . ."

Ginny breathed a small sigh of relief inside. She was glad for the opportunity to push the topic of Draco and Snape aside for now. McGonagall was right. There were more important things for them to deal with. Draco would be fine. Ginny was sure of it. She would know if anything bad had happened, simply because there was no possible way he could die or come into harm without her feeling it somehow.

"So, Ginny and Harry are going to be in charge of escorting students from the grounds to the Great Hall first. We want you to head out to the Greenhouse, then to Hagrid's to retrieve those students. Once you have gathered all of them together, you are to go up to the common rooms and check for stragglers. By that time, I think that we will have the rest under control." Lupin turned to Hermione. "You will go with Tonks to the classes, starting with the dungeons, making your way up."

Hermione was more alert now than ever. "That sounds fine. I'm always happy to help in any way possible."

Ginny was confused. "So . . . what are the staff doing? Why aren't they in charge of evacuation?"

McGonagall smiled slightly. "You _are_ going to be interrupting classes. Of course, a lot of teachers are making this a free day of sorts . . . All of the other Heads, including myself, are gathering their students' things and alerting parents. They'll be quite busy managing pick-ups and drop-offs, so it's best if we try not to burden them too much."

After saying this, she stood. Lupin and Tonks followed her movements, Harry standing also. Ginny and Hermione slowly got up.

"I want you to wait two hours," Lupin said to Harry. He looked at Tonks, "I think that you and Hermione should go to the Weasley's with me. I want to tell Molly what has happened, so she doesn't worry too much."

"Why can't we go?" Ginny asked, not even thinking.

Lupin looked slightly shocked, "Well, I thought you might want to be here . . . in case something happened. I didn't think you'd want to be away from the action, so to speak."

"Oh . . ." Ginny smiled. "Well, I suppose you're right."

Lupin grinned back at her. Tonks and Hermione started out of the office, not lingering to say goodbyes. Harry walked over to Lupin, whispering something in his ear. Ginny tried to hear what they were saying, but it was no use. Harry shot her a look out of the corner of his eye, then nodded to Lupin, who copied the gesture gravely.

McGonagall turned to Ginny. "I know that you wanted to tell me something earlier, and I think that I know what it was."

Ginny froze. "Er . . . you do?"

"Yes," she smiled shortly. "Severus's name has been tied to everything lately. Given how close he was to Draco's father, Iknew it would happen eventually. There's not need to worry, Miss Weasley. I'm not upset."

"You're . . . _not_?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not. I just want you to know that I'm not here to hold grudges. I, like you, know when it's best to bury a hatchet. There are more important things here than petty revenge."

Ginny didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Lupin was calling for McGonagall, leaving Ginny no real room to reply anyway. As the Headmistress left her office, Harry walked back to Ginny, who stood in shock.

"I couldn't imagine a better replacement . . . She's doing the school proud," Harry said knowingly.

Ginny nodded faintly, still staring at the spot where McGonagall had been.


	33. Chapter 33

_Chapter Thirty-Three_: **Divided

* * *

**

"It was really nice of you to come and get us, Harry," Luna said, giving Ginny a look that she could not decipher. "Quite relieving, I must say . . . Don't you agree, Neville?"

Neville, who had been watching Susan Bones talking to a couple of Hufflepuffs, jumped slightly. "Wh-What?"

Ginny grinned. "Nothing, Neville."

Harry snorted slightly, shaking his head. They were all in the Great Hall, sitting at their tables as if it were meal time. Hermione and Tonks were in the dungeons still, trying to round up a few of the older Slytherins. Harry and Ginny had finished their rounds only half an hour ago, and were relaxing with the rest of the students, just as Lupin had told them to do when they came to find him after they had finished. Luna was busy trying to make Harry feel guilty, and even Ginny was having a hard time not feeling bad.

"It was quite the change of pace to be taken out of class," Luna drawled. She turned to Harry again. "Why haven't you been to see us lately, Harry? I really think that it was rude of you not to at least say a simple and courteous how do you do. I would like to think that if _I _were in _your _position, _you_ might want to speak to _me_ also. Of course, I don't know if _I _would want to speak to _you_, seeing as how you treat people these days . . ."

Harry bit his lip at that comment. Ginny tried very hard not to laugh, while Neville looked somewhat confused. Luna simply sighed and drummed her fingers on the table, then sent Ginny an urgent look.

"Did you ever find what you were looking for?"

Ginny frowned. "Well, yes . . . and no . . . if that makes any sense to you at all."

Luna pursed her lips. "Was it a _what_?"

All three of them stared at her.

"A _what_?" Ginny asked, stupefied.

"Yes, a what . . . as opposed to a _whom_."

"_Oh _. . . that makes much more sense," said Ginny. "I suppose that it was a whom, yes. Two _whom_'s actually."

Luna smiled at her. "Yes, that's what I thought. Who else was it that you were looking for? The one that I suppose you didn't find, judging by your inability to completely answer yes."

"It's . . . er," Harry said quickly, " . . . no one that you would know."

Ginny shook her head. She didn't think that lying to Luna would make matters any better than telling her the truth. Neville was watching her with interest, abandoning his quest of meeting eyes with Susan. It wouldn't be hard to tell them, as devastatingly understanding as they were. They were loyal, and innocent also. Luna would have no real problem, seeing as she never has any sort of problem with anyone. Of course, Neville might . . .

"Draco Malfoy, actually," Ginny said. She looked at them to see their reactions.

Luna's dreaminess vanished as she stared at Ginny in open shock. Her already large eyes seemed impossibly huge now. Neville had turned slightly white, then greenish. He stared at Ginny in a similar fashion to Luna, his eyes not as big.

Clearing her throat slightly, Luna regained her calmness. "Is he in trouble, then?"

Ginny nodded. "Unfortunately. He's been taken hostage, you see . . ."

"He deserves it."

Without meaning to, Ginny glared at Neville. "Why do you say that?"

"Because of what he did to you," Neville said. "We heard about it, you know. It was in the papers . . ."

"_What_!" Ginny whirled around to Harry, who was trying his best to look innocent. "It was in the papers and you didn't even bother to tell me? You all _knew_?"

"No, no," Harry put a hand out to calm her. "Look, it came out a couple of days after you got back. The Prophet didn't get word until after it was all over, and they didn't say that much about it anyway. They only identified Malfoy as your captor, and said that you were fine. Your Mum and Dad didn't know until _I_ told them so."

Ginny didn't say anything. She was now far too livid to speak. She had dealt with the Daily Prophet enough to know that they would never just do a _little_ article about her capture. Not if they knew that Harry had saved her, or that Draco Malfoy, son of one the Ministry's old friends, had done it. It was too much for her to have to believe. Luckily, she didn't have to dwell on it too long, because her name was being called.

Lupin looked at her urgently. "Come, quickly! Tonks and I have something to talk to you about."

* * *

Ginny stood next to Tonks, who was waiting with her for Lupin to come out of the backroom of their chamber. They had adapted an old classroom into a very impressive sort of suite. There was a large bed on the wall of the large room, as well as two wardrobes and two bed stands. There were also two very large desks, covered in papers and books, as well as several crude drawings done by Tonks of what looked like building plans. Just as Ginny made a point to ask them about those, Lupin came out of the room holding the letter Draco had sent her.

"Are you done with it?" Ginny asked, holding her hand out.

"Yes, but I need to ask you a few things before I show you what I've found."

Ginny dropped her hand. "What?"

He shared a short look with Tonks, who was bouncing on her heels nervously. She turned to Ginny, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Did Draco ever tell you anything about Voldemort's plans?"

"Nothing that you don't already know, I'm sure."

Lupin looked at her very seriously. "Ginny, we don't know very much. From what I've found, I think you might know something important to us."

Ginny was suddenly reminded of the way that Draco had treated her when he wanted to know what Harry was up to. The way they were sort of keeping what they knew from her in order to perhaps make her more willing to tell them what they wanted to hear. The only problem was that Ginny didn't know anything about Voldemort, or what on Earth he could be planning. The only thing that she knew was what she had heard from Harry, or what little she had surmised from her stay at Augustin's home.

"Just tell me what you've found," Ginny said, shocking them. "I don't know anything important, I swear. I don't even know what's going on _right now_ . . ."

Lupin sighed, walking to her and handing her the letter. He leaned down, pointing to small text that Ginny had never seen before. Under the original letter and his signature, were the words:

_Don't be afraid, Ginny. We'll be fine. They said they'd never kill us, only that they want us there in the end. It might be a lie, but I believe them. We'll be at Hogwarts in one weeks time. Please don't worry about me._

Tonks and Lupin were watching her tentatively. Ginny looked up at them, confused.

"You see, when he said that they would be coming here," Lupin began, knowing what she was curious about, "we thought that you had heard this before, and that you were coming here to find him. Of course, we didn't think you'd lie to us about Bill and Ron, but we can't take any chances."

Ginny was still perplexed. "But . . . how did you find this?"

"It was written in invisible ink," Lupin said simply. "Quite the inventive way to hide a message, if I do say so myself. No one ever expects it."

"So . . . you thought I would hide something like this from you?" Ginny felt a bit sad.

Tonks looked worried. "No! No, not at _all_! We just wanted to be sure that you . . . er . . . knew about this and--"

Ginny shook her head. "No, it's fine. I get it. Can I go now?"

Lupin shrugged. "I suppose so."

She held the letter out for him lazily, expecting him to take it from her anyway. Lupin pushed it back to her.

"I checked it already. You keep it."

Silently, Ginny nodded at him, turning and leaving the room.

* * *

Harry leaned against the wall, watching Ginny as she took the letter from Hermione, who was looking at it for the tenth time. They were sitting in Gryffindor's empty and depressing common room, discussing the letter. It had been two days since the students were sent home, and Ginny hadn't returned to tell Neville or Luna goodbye. Though Harry told her repeatedly that they didn't mind, she couldn't help but feel a little bad about it. Luna and Neville had always been there with her to fight things out, and now . . . they were being sent off as practically useless.

"This is getting to be so boring," Hermione said finally. "I mean, I'm not used to having so little to do at times like this . . ."

Harry nodded, "How do you think _I_ feel. Ever since we came here I've been being pushed to the sidelines. Of course, we only have one last thing to do before I can finally get rid of Voldemort. Only one Horcrux left . . . and we're saving it for the night he comes. I want to see the look on his face when he realizes what we've been doing. When he realizes that he's not invincible anymore . . ."

Ginny felt a chill go through her. Voldemort . . . _dead._ What would that be like, really?

"Well, I think that we should be getting some rest now. Who knows what they'll be throwing at us tomorrow . . ." said Hermione, the last sentence in a very sarcastic way.

She got up and headed upstairs for sleeping clothes, which she had gotten when they went to see Mrs. Weasley and Fleur. Ginny sighed and laid down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. It was raining outside, and all in all, the day was getting exactly as Hermione had said . . . so boring.

Harry walked over to the couch and sat down by Ginny's feet. Smiling, Ginny sat back up, facing him fully. He didn't smile at her, but she wasn't discouraged by it. He looked so tired and so worn out, nothing like he normally did. His hair was a mess, _that_ was normal, and his eyes had slight bags under them. As she started to scoot a little closer to him, Hermione came back down the stairs, nearly tripping over her robes as she ran to them. Ginny jumped up, along with Harry. They ran to her.

"What happened? Will you stop waving that damn letter in my fac---"

Harry stopped, snatching the letter from Hermione and reading it. Hermione was wringing her hands and sort of bouncing on her feet worriedly. Ginny leaned in close to Harry, reading the letter with him.

**Hermione**

_Bill and I are headed your way. We're tailing Voldemort. He knows you guys are here, so please keep safe. Tell Harry that they need to start preparing _tonight_, because they're only a few miles from Hogsmeade now . . . Just please keep safe. Fleur and Mum are heading out soon, Bill's just got back from visiting them. At this rate, they'll be there by tomorrow night, if not earlier. Just get everything ready._

**Ron**


	34. Chapter 34

_Chapter Thirty-Four_: **Ambush

* * *

**

Harry ran out of the common room so fast that Ginny had to sprint to catch him. Hermione followed swiftly, not even stopping to put on shoes. As they made their way through the school and to the entrance hall, they were met Tonks coming out of one of the classrooms. Ginny shrieked and slid to a halt in front of her, colliding with Harry and being hit by Hermione all at once. As they stared up from their heap on the floor, Tonks nearly collapsed from laughter.

"All right, there?" she said, steadying herself to stop the giggles. She bent down and helped Hermione up, then Ginny. "What're you in such a hurry for, then?"

Harry, who was dusting himself off, allowed Hermione to take the letter from him. She handed it to Tonks, whose smile slowly vanished as she read. She turned to Harry with frightened eyes.

"Here? Already?" She put a hand to her heart. "We're not nearly ready for this!"

"We need to tell McGonagall," Hermione said.

Tonks nodded quickly, turning and going quickly down the hall. Ginny and Harry looked at each other, then followed Hermione, who had already run after Tonks. This was going to be much more trouble than they could have hoped for. Ginny thought about the irony, how they had just been lamenting about their boredom, and something like this went and happened. She sighed and quickened her pace to keep up with Harry.

* * *

Once again, Ginny stood in the entrance hall. She had volunteered to wait for her mother and Fleur at the front. Though Harry had also offered to wait with her, Lupin decided against it. Harry was needed with them, to make plans to ensure everyone's safety. Ginny knew that she had no place there, and she didn't really want Harry with her anyway. He had been hanging around her all week, as if his constant presence might spark something in her. As much as she still loved him, she was far too consumed with worry for Draco, despite all that Draco had said in his letter.

She felt stupid, granted, when she realized just how much she did worry. Just like her mother . . . worrying about nothing just to pass the time. Sure, her mother was worried about her children and husband, which is noble, but Ginny . . . Draco was barely tied to her. She had come to save him, though, and she would do that. Or at least give as much help as she possibly could. Smiling, she realized that she had been around Harry far too long. His heroism must have been rubbing off on her. The only thing about heroism in this situation was that she was dealing with Draco . . . a slight coward, perhaps, and certainly not the heroic type. He had willpower though, just like Harry. Just like herself, also.

But how much willpower must he have? _Too much_, Ginny thought. She knew that all the willpower in the world wouldn't help him if Voldemort wanted him dead. Just because Draco was _told_ that he wouldn't be killed didn't mean that someone could lose their temper and just . . .

The hall was unbearably cold, especially since she was only wearing jeans and a thin shirt. Her bare feet on the cool stone made her shiver as she waited. She had half a mind to summon some shoes from Gryffindor Tower, but she decided against it. She didn't really need them all that much. Breathing in deeply, she continued waiting for her mother, pushing her coldness and Draco out of her mind for the time being. With all of the pushing away of thoughts she had been doing lately, it seemed to be getting easier each time.

Just as she went to sit down, to get more comfortable, the doors opened. Ginny stood up straight, meeting the worn faces of Charlie and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Where's Mum?" Ginny asked.

"She's not here yet," Charlie said. "She and Fleur are sending some last minute messages to the Order. Well, _Mum_ is . . ."

Confounded, Ginny raised an eyebrow. "You left separately?"

Kingsley nodded, slipping his wand into his robes. "I thought it would be best if Charlie and I came first, in case we met any sort of opposition. It's always best to be cautious."

"Well, everyone's in the Great Hall now, so you can go and see them there. I was waiting for Mum, to tell them where to go and all of that."

Charlie smiled at her, "Too much for you in there?"

Ginny nodded sheepishly. "I have no business planning things like that."

"Whatever you say, Gin," Charlie said, looking past her. "We'll head there then, if you don't mind. I'd like to know exactly what's happened . . . Bill's never good at explaining things in a rush."

She simply nodded at them as they headed for the Great Hall. She didn't want them to stay, but all of the silence and cold air was beginning to stress her out a bit. Laughing, she thought momentarily about what they would all do if she started singing to herself, just to fill the quiet with something less menacing. This thought didn't ease her tension much, but it helped a bit as the minutes passed by slowly. Ginny sighed, feeling a bit tired as she waited.

She jumped slightly as the doors opened again, her mother entering warily. When she saw Ginny, she ran to her, throwing her arms about her only daughter. Trying to draw in a breath, Ginny pushed her mother slightly to loosen her grip. Laughing nervously, Mrs. Weasley let go of Ginny, smiling widely still. Ginny waited for her mother to say something.

Mrs. Weasley clapped a hand to her mouth, still grinning. "Oh, I've been so worried about you, dear!"

"I'm fine, mother. As you can see, I am still in one piece. The same piece, evidently, that I was in the last time you saw me."

Fleur laughed a bit, coming up to the two of them. She looked terrible. Ginny looked away, as she had expected it not to be too nice for her to stare. Ginny didn't expect to see her worn and worse for wear, her long hair without its normal sheen and lustre. She looked as if she were coming to a funeral, her small shoulders covered with a thick black traveling cloak and her dress gray and modest. Mrs. Weasley looked as normal as she had always looked.

"You must be freezing," her mother said to her, looking at her clothes. "You run back upstairs and get dressed."

Ginny groaned, "Not now, Mum. I'm fine . . ."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head, "No, don't you argue with me, Ginny Weasley. You get upstairs and get some robes on this instant."

Rolling her eyes and pursing her lips, Ginny turned and headed for Gryffindor Tower, muttering to herself angrily as she did so.

* * *

Something nudged Ginny as she yawned, waking up. It was early in the morning, and she was slightly annoyed that someone was waking her. The entrance hall was filled with sleeping Aurors, all stationed as closely as possible to the doors of the school. Harry, who had been sleeping next to her, looked at her with alarm on his face.

"What?" Ginny whispered to him.

"Shh . . . listen . . ."

Ginny leaned up a bit, straining to hear anything other than snoring. Just as she turned to question Harry further, she finally realized what he had been talking about. People were screaming outside of the castle. She sat up, accidentally kicking Hermione in the arm as she did so. Harry edged nearer to Ginny, Hermione looking at both of them like they were crazy.

"Why are you two up?"

Ginny shushed her this time, nodding to the door. Hermione sat up, still looking as if she would like nothing more than to hit Ginny in the arm and go back to sleep. Her agitation vanished as the screams got louder. Ginny turned to see several people rousing from their sleep, looking around with much more alertness than she herself could have ever managed at this time in the morning. She saw Fred and George, who had come later than most of the Aurors, looking at them horrified.

Several people got up, going as a group to the door and all raising their wands. Ginny was pulled up slowly by Harry, who had stood long ago without her realizing it. Hermione stepped back quite a bit, Harry and Ginny following her lead. The twins were headed their way now.

"How long has that been going on?" Fred asked Harry.

"Not very long. I only just heard them. Do you think it's really . . . ?"

George nodded grimly, "I can't imagine any other reason for people to be screaming bloody murder on school grounds. Well, unless the squid is hungry . . ."

Hermione glared at him. "This is not the time."

They both just smiled at her. George turned to Ginny. "You should probably go and wake Mum and McGonagall up."

Ginny shook her head, "I think I don't really need to . . ."

Mrs. Weasley was already running to them, her sleeping gown flowing behind her. Fleur was walking toward them all cautiously, looking much worse than Ginny had seen her yesterday, if that was possible. Ginny turned away from them, her eyes on the door once again. As they opened it slowly, Harry took Ginny's hand. She looked at him as the screams got louder, but didn't let go of his hand. Yells came into the school, and Ginny watched as Harry's face was set, watching people enter the hall. All she could do was stare at him.

"It's terrible!" Ginny heard a familiar voice sob.

She turned to see Rosmerta clinging to Charlie, her eyes wide. More people were running into the halls, huddling in corners or streaking off into the school. Charlie patted Rosmerta encouragingly on the back.

"What's happened?"

She looked up at him with fearful eyes. "He's in Hogsmeade. The whole lot of them are there . . . burning down shops and killing anyone who gets in their way. I ran up here as soon as I saw the Dark Mark appear over . . ." she trailed off, bursting into uncontrollable sobs once more.

Harry pulled Ginny after him as the twins rushed to Mrs. Weasley and Fleur. Hermione followed them uneasily, clutching the end of Ginny's shirt like a child.

"It's happening so soon . . ." Mrs. Weasley said. "Do you think . . . Do you suppose that . . .?"

Fred put a hand on his mother's arm, looking at her strongly. "They're going to be fine, Mum. Bill would never let anything happen to Ron."

Mrs. Weasley nodded dully, as if she were never really listening in the first place. Fleur looked on the verge of tears. For minutes, no one seemed to say anything in their group. It was all screams and hysteria around them, nothing else. Ginny, despite the frenzy of the situation, felt hope run through her. Though it was a scary thought, she knew that the closer Voldemort got, the sooner she would know what condition Draco was in.

"We need to get you into the dungeons," George was saying to Mrs. Weasley. "You and Fleur both need to come with us down there. That's where we're taking those who can't fight."

She nodded, turning to Fleur. "Come along, dear . . ."

Fleur nodded, taking Mrs. Weasley's hand and following the twins toward the dungeons. Harry stopped them.

Harry squeezed Ginny's hand slightly. "You and Hermione should go."

"I'm staying with you, Harry," Ginny said fervently. "I don't want to wait in the shadows."

"Yes," Hermione said in the same manner, "we're staying with you. You knew it would be like this. I've been telling you ever since talk of this sort of battle started . . . you're not going this one alone."

Harry stared at both of them, an expression Ginny could quite read on his face. He looked at her in this way, leaning close to her and looking very sad suddenly.

"I can't make any promises that we'll be alive at the end of this."

Ginny looked back at him, a feeling of strength surging through her. "We're not dying tonight, Harry."


	35. Chapter 35

_Chapter Thirty-Five_: **Madness

* * *

**

Screams got louder as Harry pulled Ginny after him. Hermione was dashing up the stairs with expert precision, never even coming close to a misstep or fall. Ginny felt her self shaking even as she ran, not really sure what they were doing. As they reached the top, Ginny stopped for a moment to catch her breath, but was yanked by Harry in an effort to keep her moving. Glaring at him as he pulled her down the corridor, Ginny pushed on.

Hermione skidded to a halt in front of a door, pulling out her wand and unlocking it. She motioned for them to follow her inside.

"I used to come in here all the time, it's very well protected, I promise," Hermione said as they came in. She turned and locked the door back in place.

Ginny looked around at the large and cluttered room. There were papers strewn about the floor, three desks pushed together in a corner to form a sort of fort. Tables were stacked up along the walls, vials and textbooks stacked neatly in the only organized corner of the room. The windows were all boarded up, and Ginny noticed that there was writing all over the walls.

"What is this place?" Harry asked.

Hermione blushed slightly, but held her face calmly, "This is my study . . . sort of."

"But, what about the common room, or the library, or . . . all of those other places you go."

"Well," Hermione smiled at Harry slyly, "I've been coming here the whole time, Harry. Aside from the work I do in the common room, this is sort of the best place for me to sort my thoughts. I have all sorts of enchantments on it, and I've never been caught either."

"Amazing," Ginny breathed, walking around.

Hermione walked over toward the desks, jumping up and sitting on top of one of them. Harry and Ginny walked over, doing the same. Ginny looked at Harry sitting next to her, his face dark and somber. His green eyes stared at his feet in an odd sort of calculation, as if sitting in one spot long enough would give him the strength to do what he knew he would have to do. She put her hand on his.

Harry looked up. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you?"

"I . . ." he looked into her eyes for a moment, then his face darkened, "I don't think I'm ready."

Ginny smiled as Hermione scoffed. "Harry, stop playing up your humility. You _are_ ready. I've seen you in action, and I know you're ready."

Harry sighed. "I might have the ability, Hermione, but that doesn't mean that I have a chance against Voldemort and thousands of Death Eaters."

"Won't the Order be able to finish off most of them?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded, "Exactly. You focus on Voldemort and nothing else. We'll handle the rest."

He sent her a sharp look, tinged with fear. "You two aren't handling anything."

"Oh, please," Ginny said. "Stop acting like we can't handle ourselves. The sooner you accept that we're here and we're ready to fight for you, the sooner you can figure out what you have to do."

"I _know_ what I have to do," Harry said, softening slightly as he turned to Ginny. "I think that you two should stay here for now. I need to find Lupin and —"

"Oh no you don't!" Hermione said, turning pink from slight anger. "You stop talking like we're worthless this instant."

Harry narrowed his eyes and started to reply when he was interrupted by loud knocking on the door. Hermione tensed up, looking at Ginny with frightened eyes. Harry pushed them both back slightly, jumping off of the desks and walking slowly to the door. Ginny hopped down also, ignoring Hermione's gasps and protests as she headed to Harry's side. He walked slowly up to the door, looking back shortly to acknowledge Ginny, then turning back to his task. Pulling out his wand, Harry unlocked the door and opened it slowly.

"Finally, been looking for you three _everywhere_!"

Ginny let out a deep sigh of relief as Fred and George came through the door, ignoring the dumbstruck look on Harry's face. "What's happened?"

"They broke through really quickly," George said gravely, "about the time you three disappeared. About seventy of them altogether, I'd say. Fred and I got three on the staircase, but I know I saw at least ten others fall."

Fred's face matched George's seriousness as he added, "It's mayhem, basically."

Harry looked very worried. "Is Voldemort here?"

The twins both nodded. Ginny looked around them at the hall, expecting to see people running about like mad, yelling and screaming. She saw nothing.

"Where is everyone? Have they not spread any?"

Fred looked urgently at Harry. "That's why we were looking for you. Voldemort, he's . . . he's headed into the dungeons, Harry."

Hermione let out a gasp from her spot on the desks. "B-but . . . no . . ."

"How many went with him?" Harry asked, a very intimidating tremor of command coming from his voice.

George looked very scattered as he tried to remember, "About . . . uh, I think that it was about ten or so, maybe less. All I know is that they're looking for you, and . . ."

"That's all I need to know," Harry said evenly. He turned around to face Ginny. "If we get separate, you and Hermione need to find Ron and Bill, all right?"

Ginny nodded. "But where are we—"

"We're heading down to the dungeons to get Fleur and your mother, and even though I'd rather you not be there, I know you won't listen." He put a hand on her shoulder as she tried to protest. "I know you think that I'm being stupid for trying to keep you away, but I want you to listen to me. If you don't listen to anything else I say, please just listen to me now: if we get separate, stay with Ron and Bill. Tell them to come down to find us when you have, but just stay with them no matter what."

Ginny had never seen him so blazing as he was now. His green eyes were stern and powerful over his strong face, eyebrows slightly narrowed and jaw set. She hadn't seen him like this for a long time, though as stated before, the magnitude of his power then was not as towering as now. The danger of the situation coupled with the stress he must have been feeling were no longer so substantial to either of them, as his demeanor was enough to make all of her fears go away.

"I will," Ginny said quietly, not taking her eyes off of him. "I promise."

"Thank you." His voice was just as quiet as hers as he took his hand away.

Biting her lip at the sudden change in his expression, the gentleness that had now swept over him, Ginny felt a longing she couldn't understand. Suddenly, shocking herself, she rushed forward, hugging him with all her might. She felt him tense slightly as he put his arms around her, his strong hands trying not to hold her too tightly as he relaxed. Ginny leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then let go of him quickly.

The twins shifted uncomfortably as they waited for Harry's next instructions. Hermione jumped down from her spot finally.

"You remember everything we learned this summer, Harry," Hermione said as she came over. "Don't let anything get in your way. Deaths and wounds aren't important right now, unless they are your own."

Harry looked slightly scared for a moment, but relaxed his face as he looked at Ginny, but spoke to all of them. "We're not dying tonight."

Minutes later they were running down the stairs once again. Ginny had her wand tightly in her hand as she tried her best to keep up with everyone. The twins kept and even pace for Hermione and Harry, who were in the front of the group armed with an extensive knowledge of hexes and curses to fling at any unsavory characters they might meet. As the sounds of battle got louder, Harry slowed down.

"Stop," he said, stooping slightly on the stairs. "I want to see what's going on before we rush out into the middle of things."

The group mimicked him, stopping and kneeling slightly to look down into the Entrance Hall. What met their eyes was a little too much for Ginny. She felt dizzy as she saw the chaos below. She spotted Lupin and Tonks, back to back, fighting off five Death Eaters on their own. One by one, they fell, but more came. Ginny turned to look at Fred, who was mouthing some sort of mental tally as he counted the fallen. Looking back, she felt her unease grow as more people fell to the ground on both sides of the fight.

Harry cleared his throat, still watching the battle, but speaking to them all. "I want Ginny to come with me through, and you three go together. You should cut around and meet us at the steps leading to the dungeon, sticking close to members of the Order if possible. If you guys are met by anyone, disable them. Don't kill them. Leave that as a last resort. Ginny and I are going first."

Hermione looked at Harry anxiously, "Shouldn't you two wait until we've gone?"

"Trust me, Hermione," was all that he said.

There was no time for goodbyes orwarnings as Harry took her hand and pulled her down the stairs. Ginny kept her thoughts away as she felt the air warm against her skin. She could see faces of friends in anguish, people lying on the floor in pain, Death Eaters with their backs turned. Everyone seemed to be completely oblivious to them as they sped through. Ginny thought she heard Lupin as they ran past a large group, but didn't stop to find out if it was him. Harry pulled her along fast, his wand raised even though it was definite that they would be fine.

As they came to a stop in front of the stairs leading to the dungeons, Ginny looked up over the crowd for Hermione. She watched as the twins almost carried Hermione through the crowd, both of them pulling on her, hands gripping hers as if she was resisting. Ginny yelped as Harry pulled her back and around the corner.

With a look of indignation, Hermione appeared around the corner, rubbing her hands slightly. Fred and George came up, panting slightly. Ginny smiled at them, happy that they were all in one piece.

"Now, let's get down here quickly. We've already wasted enough time."

Everyone followed Harry down the steps, single file. Ginny walked behind Harry, George behind her, Hermione behind him, and Fred leading up the rear. As they descended the steps, Ginny heard people arguing below. Harry stopped suddenly, everyone doing the same. He turned around.

"Keep your wands out and your hands steady. Don't say a word." He looked at Ginny as if giving her an extra warning.

Ginny nodded at him alone, everyone else simply doing as they were told. Ginny had her wand out as Harry stepped off of the last step and walked around the corner. He put his hand out and motioned for them to follow. Slowly, Ginny went around the corner, Harry still walking. She didn't wait for the rest of them as she picked her pace a bit to catch up with him. She put a hand on his shoulder to stop him as the voices got louder. They both turned to an open classroom. Harry looked at her with worry.

The twins and Hermione came up quickly, stopping with confused looks on their faces. Harry froze as the words being exchanged inside the room became a little clearer.

"Just shut them up quickly before he comes," a woman said, her voice bitter and annoyed.

"But, dear," a man said weakly, "Severus isn't stupid. He won't come down here until it's absolutely necessary."

Ginny felt her breath catch as a teenager boy yelled suddenly, "You let us out of here now! He's not coming and he never was! Can't you see that it was all a lie? I've told you a hundred times already!"

"Stop yelling, dear," said a woman's voice faintly. She sounded as if she was falling asleep. "It's not helping us any . . ."

"Listen to your mother, Draco," said the first woman laughingly. "She does, after all, know best."

Ginny pulled at Harry's robes. "We have to get in there."

"But," Harry whispered back, "we can't face them all alone."

"There can't be many of them," Ginny whispered back. "They don't see Draco as a threat, Harry. They're not going to put him in the care of a lot of people. That would just be wasting their numbers."

Harry still looked skeptical. "I know you want to help him, Ginny, but I don't think it's safe."

Ginny looked at him in anger. She felt her face grow hot from frustration, and she wanted nothing more than to hit him around the face a bit. She was tired of hearing him call her worthless, as if she couldn't handle herself. It didn't matter to her anymore.

"I don't care what you think, Harry. I'm going in there," she said quickly, stepping around him and heading for the door.

Hermione gasped loudly, the twins running to her to grab her arms. Ginny fought them off and stepped into the room, ready to find four people at the most. Frozen to the spot at what she did find, she didn't notice as Harry and the rest of the group rushed in behind her.

"Oh, this isn't good," Hermione said quietly.


	36. Chapter 36

_Chapter Thirty-Six_: **Vengeful

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**

Time seemed to stop as the room spun around her. Bellatrix Lestrange stood tall, her face showing open shock and indignation as she remained in her spot between her husband and his brother, Rabastan. They both looked more amused in their shock, but not enough to rule out the possibility of them being scared. Augustin stood in front of a desk, looking at Ginny with outrage. The person Ginny was most afraid to see was standing next to Draco and Narcissa with a very gleeful look on his twisted and animalistic face.

"And here I was, thinking that all the children had gone . . ."

"Not now, Fenrir," Augustin said.

Harry stepped forward suddenly, bringing everyone in the room into immediate alertness. In one swift movement, wands were raised and pointed expertly, everyone now with narrowed eyes. Ginny felt her heart thumping painfully in her chest as she stared at Bellatrix, who was looking directly at her.

"This is definitely the next best thing, I would say," she said to her husband. "We can get rid of these brats and take Potter instead."

Augustin looked slightly worried, "We weren't told to take care of anyone other than Severus. We have a mission, and I think we need to stick to it."

Rodolphus let out a soft laugh. "The Dark Lord is never against the casualties of a mission."

"Exactly," said Bellatrix. "He probably wouldn't even think twice about these children being dead. As long as we bring back Severus, he won't mind."

Harry spoke angrily from next to Ginny. "You're not killing any of us."

The adults laughed. "Is that so?" asked Bellatrix with a raised eyebrow. "I think someone needs to take a nap . . . you're a bit _cranky_ this evening, Potter."

She laughed menacingly and looked back at Ginny, who was glaring at her. She clicked her tongue softly, her face showing the same vane of haughtiness that it usually did. Ginny gripped her wand tighter, not even noticing the numbness that was creeping through her hand. Neither of them broke the stare for fear of action from the other.

"I suppose you think you have some score to settle with me, do you?" Bellatrix said finally. "You, after all, seem to be cut from the same filthy cloth as the rest of them. So, what is it that you want now, _girl_?"

Ginny felt herself sneer. "You have no right to speak to me."

The air grew thicker as Bellatrix became incensed. "I would like to know why you believe that, you blood-traitor."

"It's simple," Ginny said with surprising calm, "you have no right to speak to me after what you've done. It might not be as simple as trying to kill me or my friends, or aiding in the capture and holding of me, but it's still something that separates us. I can't name it."

Ginny heard a slight whimper of worry from behind her, but ignored it. She had said what she wanted to say. She didn't care about the repercussions of her words. Slowly, she turned to look at Harry. This was a mistake.

"Ginny, don't turn your back!" Harry yelled as Bellatrix threw her arm back.

A blind surge of pain shot through her as she fell to the floor. Ginny yelled in agony at some unknown horror that had befallen her, not sure what to call what was happening. All she heard around her were yells and curses, hexes and grunts of pain. She breathed in deeply as the pain stopped, the room spinning around her as her vision returned. She felt a hand go under her arm, pulling her up roughly and standing her.

She looked into Harry's eyes, but only briefly. He turned back to the battle that had seemed to come out of nowhere. Sighing for a moment, Ginny did the same, turning to look once more at Bellatrix, whose face was twisted as she threw a Cruciatus in their direction. Hermione, quick to the draw, knocked the spell before it could reach its target. Sending a quick Binding curse back, Hermione snarled slightly as Bellatrix deflected it.

In a haze, Ginny remembered Draco and his mother. She looked past Augustin and made a run to Draco and Narcissa, hoping that a very distracted Fenrir wouldn't notice her. She streaked past him, kneeling down quickly over Draco. He looked her in the eyes, his own dull and wide. Ginny smiled at him in a pained sort of way, trying to find a way to undo his and Narcissa's bindings.

"Don't worry about us yet," Draco said forcefully. "Get rid of the rest. I can handle this for now."

"Draco, you must be delusional," Ginny said, looking at him oddly. "You can't get out of here on your own. I can help you . . ."

Draco's eyes got wider, "Look out!"

Ginny yelped as Augustin came at her. With an outstretched hand, he pulled her up to him, grabbing her chin roughly with his hand.

"You should have known better," he said viciously. "It would have had to be you that would run into a room without checking it first. You were never that smart, were you?"

She tried to spit at him, but he had her chin too tight within his grip. She managed to grunt out a harsh, "Screw off!"

He laughed at her mockingly. "No, no, none of that. You wouldn't be propositioning me in front of all your friends here, would you? How would they like that?"

No one else seemed to notice her dilemma, so Ginny attempted to take matters into her own hands. Jabbing at him quickly with her wand, she was disabled by his hand roughly twisting that arm behind her back. She yelled in pain, tears springing to her eyes as she arched her back to relieve some of the hurt. She heard Draco attempt to yell for help. Fenrir turned slightly, giving Draco a harsh kick in the ribs.

"How would you have reacted," he said suddenly, "if you weren't saved that night, I wonder?"

Ginny grimaced as he brought his face closer, grinning at her madly. She closed her eyes as he continued to taunt her. He was trying to explain himself to her, she thought with disgust. He was trying to give her the same justification he must have given himself. She opened her eyes to see Harry over Augustin's shoulder, looking at her with terror. She sent him a helpless look as she continued to struggle against Augustin. Harry ran at him.

"I'd imagine it would have continued, considering the disadvantage. After all, you are weak-minded and weak-willed. We all know that," he spat. "Too bad you aren't a trollop on top of it . . . would have been much easier then. Can't say it would have been a pleasure for _me_," Augustin continued, oblivious to the fact that Harry was right behind him, listening. "I take pleasure in the_ finer_ things in life, and you, I'm afraid, don't fit into that category. Whores and tarts are usually of very low quality, and I doubt you would have been any different."

Harry looked murderous. Ginny yelped once more as Augustin twisted her arm suddenly, looking at her fervently, "Of course, I can't say that would have stopped me. I did, after all, have my eye on you ever since the night you were brought in. A girl is a girl, no matter what family she's come from."

He smirked at her, leaning in closer. "Relief is relief, and that's all I needed."

Ginny closed her eyes as she saw Harry raise his wand. The whole room stopped moving for a moment, Ginny hearing the protests of her brothers as they seemed to have heard what Augustin had said to her. She heard a deep yell, then felt Augustin slump against her, arm falling free. She opened her eyes hesitantly, screaming as she saw Augustin staring lifelessly back at her.

"Let go of him," Harry said tersely, his chest rising and falling deeply as he stared at Augustin with a mix of hatred and horror. "Let go of him."

Ginny did so without any thought, jumping back as Augustin sunk to the floor in a massive heap. She looked around at the room, everyone standing in their spot, motionless, all staring at the body on the floor. Bellatrix suddenly screamed.

"Father!" She yelled, running to the corpse.

Bellatrix kneeled down next to his body, looking nothing like Ginny had ever thought she could. Her eyes were wide with fear and anguish, her mouth open and nostrils slightly flared to keep herself from crying. She looked up at Harry in anger.

"How dare you, Potter! I'll _kill_ you!" She leapt up, lunging at him with her hands out like claws. Harry jumped back mechanically, pointing his wand at her.

From behind Harry, Rodolphus and Rabastan pointed their wands at his back. Ginny yelled for him to duck as they both prepared to murder him. A blast of light forced her to close her eyes as the twins and Hermione all started yelling, then everything got very quiet. Ginny heard Bellatrix shriek again as she opened her eyes.

Rodolphus and Rabastan lay on the floor, unconscious but still alive, Bellatrix now kneeling over her fallen husband. Ginny turned around to see the twins, irate, with their wands pointed at the two fallen men. Hermione had her face covered. Harry walked to Ginny, looking at her with guilt in his eyes.

"I . . . I shouldn't have killed him," Harry said. "I just overreacted. I just . . ."

Ginny shook her head. "No, don't feel sorry for him, Harry. You can work past it. He deserved what he got."

Harry only nodded slowly, looking away from Ginny. Hermione and the twins moved quickly toward them, Hermione to Harry and the twins to their sister. Ginny heard a faint shuffling from behind her and, thinking it was only Harry, ignored it. Just as Fred put his arm around her shoulder in a brotherly half-hug, someone yelled:

"_Stupefy!_"

Ginny turned around quickly, watching as Bellatrix fell to the ground in a heap. Ginny looked past that sight to see Draco standing, wand raised, looking very shocked. Harry looked around, then spotted Draco also. He bit his lip slightly, eyebrows knitted together as he turned to the twins.

"Bind them quickly," Harry said to them. "We can't waste any time."

Ginny ran to Draco immediately, almost collapsing into him as she crashed into his outstretched arms. He held her firmly, his arms around her just as tightly as hers were on him. She felt him whisper something into her hair, but she couldn't hear it. She couldn't hear anything at that moment. She could only feel. Draco shook her slightly, jerking back, but still holding her to him. Ginny turned as footsteps began to echo through the dungeons.

"Harry!" Yelled Lupin from the hall, "Where are you?"

Lupin came bounding in. Just as he made it to the door, he froze on the threshold. Ginny's eyes widened as Harry grabbed Hermione quickly, pulling her out of the way as Fenrir moved swiftly to the door, pushing Fred down harshly along with George. Draco grabbed Ginny and pulled her close to him as Fenrir laughed maniacally.

"Looks like I finally have a reason to join in the fun," Fenrir barked at him, grabbing Lupin by the collar and dragging him into the room. He pulled Lupin's face level with his, leering. "Did you miss me?"


	37. Chapter 37

_Chapter Thirty-Seven_: **Prowess

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**

Draco's hands gripped Ginny's shoulders tightly, almost digging his nails into her skin to keep her still. Harry and the twins seemed frozen by fear, something Ginny was almost outraged by. The only person able to get to Fenrir was Hermione, and she looked like the best person to do it. Hermione stood impressively, stepping around Harry and staring at Fenrir with a radiating sort of power. Just as Fenrir prepared himself, with a sickening look of pleasure played across his face, to deal with Lupin as he might like, Hermione had her wand pointed directly at the back of his head.

"Let him go, you sorry excuse for a human," she boomed.

Fenrir's smile grew wider, his back still facing her. Ginny saw an unmistakable flicker of hunger in his eyes as he let his hold on Lupin relax. Draco's grasp seemed to tighten even more on Ginny as Fenrir let Lupin go altogether, letting him fall to the ground as if he had been paralyzed by fear. His eyes flashed as he turned around to face Hermione, a sly look on his wolfish face.

He laughed, "Silly children, always thinking they know what's best. Who are you to decide what makes a human?"

Hermione looked absolutely disgusted. "I'm no child. . . sorry to _disappoint_ you."

Fenrir snarled slightly, moving forward a bit. No one else moved, Harry looking at Lupin with concern and Fred watching Fenrir. George looked at Hermione, his hand on his pocket now. _About time_ . . . Ginny thought, watching them all move in a similar fashion. Ginny's hand was itching to reach for her own wand, but she knew that it wasn't necessary.

Just as Fenrir reached out to grab Hermione by her hair, his fingers grazing a few strands, Fred let out a vicious yell. George and Harry both followed him as they all let out separate hexes, the words blending together as their voices rang against the stone walls. Ginny closed her eyes against the bright flashes of light, leaning against Draco slightly. As her ears stopped ringing and the air cooled, Ginny opened her eyes once more.

Fenrir lay on the floor, his legs spread at odd angles and his arms folded underneath him. His eyes were open wide, his mouth twitching slightly as he drew in shallow breaths. Lupin sat on the floor, slightly horrified, watching Fenrir.

"Oh!" Hermione said suddenly, running to Lupin. She crouched down, lifting him up the best she could. "Are you all right, professor?"

Lupin nodded weakly. "Just a bit of a shock, really. Old memories . . . more than you need to know, I think."

He turned to Fenrir, pulling his wand out and binding him. He walked over to the Lestranges, dragging Fenrir behind him with his wand. He bound Fenrir to them, then turned around, walking casually to Harry. Ginny let go of Draco, him releasing her as well. Everyone made their way to Harry. Lupin turned to him.

"Before you start sending people off, we need to take care of this area," he said. Lupin spoke to the twins, "You two should take that group to another room and lock them in. Get their wands and keep them on you, also."

As they were told, the twins went to the unconscious group and hoisted them up. Hermione, always willing to help, went over and got their wands, pocketing them and putting her arms out to help the twins carry the group. Slowly, they made their way out of the room.

"All right then, Ginny," Lupin said, turning to her. "I suppose that you'll want to remain here, right?"

Ginny looked at Draco, then turned back and nodded. "Yes, I think so. We can always come and find you . . ."

"I think that you should stay here," Harry said. He looked so much older to Ginny. "Wait here as long as you can, and if you feel up to it, try and find Ron and Bill."

"Harry, I'm not going to stay away from you."

He looked taken aback. Ginny stepped toward him a bit, placing her hand on his arm in a delicate way. She looked at him directly, wanting to shout at him when he looked away.

"Just stay here . . ." Harry said. "This is not your battle."

Ginny took her hand from his arm. "You know what, if you want to think of it that way, go right ahead. I'm tired of trying to support you and be there for you. What good is being a friend or anything else when you're dealing with someone as hot-headed as you are being right now? You go ahead and fight _your_ battle. Forget about everyone else who's ever been wronged by Voldemort and fight _your_ stupid battle."

Harry looked up at her finally, shocked. No one else said a word as he turned and left the room. Ginny glared after him, turning herself and returning to Draco. Lupin sighed slightly, then walked over to Ginny, placing a fatherly hand on her shoulder.

"Don't let him get to you," he said. "Just come when you two have sorted things out, all right? I don't see why any harm would come to you."

"He just thinks that Voldemort would be stupid enough to come after people he cares about. Why would he take us when Harry is so close?"

Lupin looked slightly surprised by Ginny's words. "Well, I don't know myself, but . . . it's only natural for Harry to be scared for you. He's lost so much already."

Ginny bit her lip. "Well, that's all fine, but it still doesn't give him the right to—"

"It gives him enough right to _think_ he can, Ginny. He knows he can't do it alone, but he likes to think he can, which is a right none of us can take from him."

"He's not . . ." Ginny didn't want to finish that thought.

Lupin smiled slightly, "No one really thinks that they are strong until faced with a task like this. I think he probably has thought your thoughts more than you have, and I'm sure he's more worried than anyone else about what will happen. For now, I think it's best if we all just believe in him."

"I believe in him, I always have," Ginny said. "I just don't want him to get in over his head."

Lupin sighed. "None of us can help that. I have to go now, but you stay here for a little while, all right? I doubt we'll be running into Voldemort for some time . . . you won't miss anything."

Ginny smiled at him, hugging him tightly. Lupin laughed a bit, letting her go and leaving. She turned to Draco just as Hermione came back into the room.

"They wanted me to stay with you," Hermione said. "The twins headed off further into the dungeons. Did Harry and Lupin head out already?"

"Just left," Ginny replied.

Hermione nodded slowly, walking to them. She went over to Narcissa, who was still in her bindings on the floor. As Hermione released her, Draco came over, lifting her up. Ginny noticed that she looked so fragile, which was nothing like she usually did. The few times Ginny had seen Narcissa Malfoy, she was always tall and haughty. Her nose was always stuck in the air, her hair perfect, her clothes immaculate. Now, as she stood, all Ginny saw was a wilted woman in her long and tattered nightgown, hair tangled and dirty.

"Are you all right, mother?" Draco asked softly.

Narcissa nodded, "Yes, I'm fine. I just need a moment to get used to standing on my own."

Draco let go of her, letting her stand with her own strength. Hermione looked concerned as she watched Narcissa sway slightly, her thin frame shaking. Ginny took her cloak off, handing it to Draco. He draped it over his mother's bare shoulders. She stopped shaking.

"Thank you, Miss Weasley," she said quietly. "Thank you very much."

Ginny smiled softly, a warm feeling moving through her despite the cold. Though she didn't know what to say, she knew the gesture would be enough. She looked to Draco. His bright gray eyes were soft and shining, a trait she had not seen them exhibit for some time. His hair, tousled and dirty, fell over his pale face as he walked to her. His hand pushed it back slightly as he stood in front of her, his other hand touching her face softly.

"I missed you," he said.

Ginny smiled. "I missed you too."

She leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek, then leaning back. She looked around him at Hermione, who was standing still and looking mildly uncomfortable.

"Sorry," Ginny mumbled, putting a little more space between herself and Draco. She felt herself turn red.

Hermione laughed slightly, "It's all right."

Ginny gasped slightly. "Oh, before I forget about them . . . do you know where Ron and Bill are?"

Draco nodded, "I was just about to say something about that. Before we were brought down here, we ran into them upstairs. Bellatrix took them down a smaller hallway, just as you come down the stairs here, and I think she locked them in one of the rooms."

"Were they the ones who tipped them off about Snape?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"Yes, I think so," Draco said. "We can go get them, then head to look for Harry."

Hermione cleared her throat slightly, trying to get his attention. "Ah, Draco?"

"Yes?"

"I think that I should go. I know how much Ginny wants to find Harry, and I think it's a waste for us all to go together."

"That sounds good to me." Ginny turned to Draco. "Do you mind?"

Draco shook his head. "No, that's fine. It'll save us time anyway. You just need to head out this door and back to the stairs, then turn down the narrow hallway to the right of the landing. They should be in the first room, as she wasn't gone for long."

Hermione nodded. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Only that their wands are on Augustin . . ."

Ginny looked down at Augustin's dead body with a look of disgust. Hermione sighed deeply, pointing her wand at the body and summoning the boy's wands from it. Ginny hadn't even thought of that.

"You two stay out of sight, all right?" Hermione said. "I should expect I won't be too far behind you."

Ginny gave Hermione a hug. "We'll be fine."

As Hermione started for the door, Narcissa called out to stop her. Everyone turned to her in shock.

"I think I should go with you," Narcissa said. "You shouldn't be going off alone at a time like this and I don't want to stay here alone either."

"You should come with us, mother," Draco said, looking worried.

Narcissa shook her head. "No, you two need to go now. I don't want to be anywhere near Voldemort right now, and I want to find Severus. It's best this way."

"If that's what you want," Draco said, still slightly skeptical. He took the wand he had in his hand an pointed it at Augustin's body, retrieving two more wands from it. He tossed one to Narcissa. "You'll be needing this."

Throwing the other to the floor, Draco put his own in his pocket. He noticed Ginny looking at him oddly.

"Who's wand was that?"

Draco smiled slyly. "It was Augustin's. It fell out of his cloak when he got to you. I would've killed him myself if Harry hadn't been in the way the entire time."

Ginny felt a chill go through her as she took one last glance at Augustin's frozen face. She looked back up at Draco, who had been surveying her intensely. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, still not used to being back with you," he said. Clearing his throat, he turned to his mother. "We'll just be leaving now, then . . ."

Narcissa smiled knowingly and left the room with Hermione. Draco and Ginny waited a moment before leaving themselves, turning in the opposite direction.


	38. Chapter 38

_Chapter Thirty-Eight_: **Wired

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**

Ginny took Draco's hand, it being cold and her own being so warm. He looked into her eyes fearfully, as if he couldn't really believe the moment that they were sharing. She smiled at him shortly, then turned to look at the path before them. The dungeons, when you weren't sure of your destination, were a slight labyrinth. If she had been asked to make the journey through alone, she knew she would be lost. Luckily, Draco knew what he was doing. He pulled her after him, all the feeling of romance and happiness seeming to fly from him as he remembered the urgence of the situation. Ginny followed after at his pace, trying to focus on the task at hand.

They came to a fork in their road, one hallway to the right and another to the left. The pathways were identical, but the outcomes could be very much different. Ginny looked at Draco, who seemed to be mapping things out in his mind.

"Slytherin's that way," he said, looking down the right hall, "but most of the classrooms, as well as the old Prefect's conference room is down the other. The conference room would be ideal to hide out in, since it is at the very center of the school, but . . ."

Ginny looked at Draco, "If Voldemort was trying to locate something, _wouldn't_ he head toward the center of the building? It would be easier for him to run into Harry that way, as well as the fact that he wouldn't think Harry to be in Slytherin, right?"

Draco stood stunned. Ginny smiled at him, tugging him down the left hallway. They passed by two empty rooms, the desks inside all lined up uniformly. Draco looked into both before they passed, in case anyone was lurking inside. Ginny, however pointless she may have thought it was, let him get on with it. Once they finally got to the end, the turned down the only hall to the right. Draco stopped her at another classroom, shushing her. She quickly found out why.

"You two can stay here, I know you'll be safe," said Lupin from inside. Ginny looked at Draco. He put his finger to his lips still. "Fleur, you will be fine here, won't you?"

"But of course," she replied haughtily. "I am capable."

"We know," Harry said. "I just want to make sure that you two stay here and keep low. You'll stay safe if you stay put. I expect that Ginny might be along soon."

Ginny stepped forward slightly as two sets of footsteps were heard leaving. Harry turned to meet her as she stood by the entrance. She was still holding Draco's hand.

"Good," Harry said. He turned to Draco, "We're heading off now to find Snape. I heard him talking further down this corridor, possibly an incantation, but we don't want to rule out the possibility of him being accompanied by someone else. Namely, of course, Ron and Bill."

"No need," Draco replied. "Granger is tending to them. Snape should be alone."

Harry looked pleasantly surprised, "That's perfect. You'll want to be coming with us, won't you?"

"Of course," Draco said suspiciously. "You want me to come?"

"Yes," he said curtly. "We're slightly lost as it is already, and I think that having you with us might be wise."

"What about me?" Ginny asked curiously. "I'm coming as well, aren't I?"

Lupin and Harry exchanged looks of worry, Draco still holding Ginny's hand tightly. He looked at her softly. Ginny knew what was coming, and she wouldn't have it. If Harry thought she was needed here to watch her mother and Fleur, or even that he could shake her off and make her stay here like that, he was dead wrong. Draco as well, for that matter. She glared at them all.

"You're not leaving me. Not after what's happened . . . I want to stay with you."

"Ginny, you can't come now," Harry said to her. "I can't just lead you to Voldemort."

"He's not going to go after me if you're there, Harry. He's not stupid. It's you he wants, not me."

"You'll be safe here."

"I'll be just as safe with all of you."

"No, you won't be."

"Yes, I will."

"Stay here."

"No."

Harry opened his mouth to protest once more, but Ginny sent him a death glare. She looked up at Draco, who had moved to speak, in anger. "What do _you_ want?"

He glared right back at her. "Don't snap at me."

Ginny didn't soften. "You want to leave me here too? Do you really think I'm incapable? You, of all people, should trust me."

"It's not a matter of trust . . . it's just that it would be easier if you weren't there," Draco said.

"Easier? What does that mean?"

Harry stepped in, "He's right. You're distracting, Ginny. I would want to protect you, I would lose concentration. I can't afford to be saving you while I'm supposed to be defending myself."

"I don't need you to save me from anything anymore, Harry," Ginny said seriously. "I'm grown up now. I'm not the whimpering little twelve year old I used to be. I can handle myself."

Harry sighed, replying begrudgingly, "If this is what you want . . ."

"It is. No more discussion. Fleur and my mother will be fine, as will I." Ginny looked at them all. "Let's get going."

"Right," Lupin said, masking his amusement weakly. "Where does this hall lead to, exactly?"

"To an old conference hall," Draco said. "It goes straight down for a while, and then you meet two doors . . ."

Harry nodded at them all, walking without a word. Draco pulled Ginny slowly after him, being allowed to take the lead after a few yards. Lupin stood at the rear of the group, Harry just behind Ginny. She felt slightly uncomfortable, walking in between Draco and Harry like that. She walked faster now, trying not to slow anyone down.

They passed by several rooms, none of them open or showing any signs of having been used in years. As they passed the seventh one, the light grew fainter, the hallway getting almost completely pitch-black. She heard Lupin and Harry mutter words, their wand tips lighting up. Draco did the same, letting go of Ginny's hand. She didn't bother.

The walls around them seemed to get smaller as they went, the classrooms getting further and further apart and, presumably, bigger in size. Ginny stopped dead in her tracks as she saw a small dot of light a ways ahead of them. Harry and Lupin were forced to stop as well, Draco stopping only when their footsteps were no longer able to be heard. He turned and looked at them curiously.

"What's going—"

Harry shushed him, motioning ahead. He turned his wand off, Lupin doing so after him. Draco muttered his incantation, throwing them into darkness. Ginny reached for a hand and found one. A cold one. She moved forward until she hit its owner softly. Draco's eyes were barely visible as he watched ahead of them anxiously. Ginny leaned against him, putting her other arm around him.

"It's Snape," Harry whispered. "He's not moving."

Draco spoke softly back, "He's trying to get in the door, I think. Walk slowly after me."

Taking her arm from around him, she stood waiting for his signal to go. Ginny felt a hand touch her back softly, and she knew who it was. She turned to face Harry, his very close to hers. He took her other hand and whispered something, but she couldn't hear him. She turned back around nonetheless, Draco pulling her softly down the hall. They walked as slowly as possible, their footsteps inaudible as they went. Snape's form got bigger and bigger as they walked toward him, Draco stopping about twenty feet from where he stood. There were two doors in front of Snape. Ginny could tell they both had inscriptions on them, but they weren't close enough for her to try to read. She felt Harry let go of her hand, walking around her a little before stopping. Ginny could see their faces illuminated lightly by the light, Draco nodding at Harry and walking forward a bit.

"Snape!" He called, the word echoing down the hall.

Snape turned around, his cloak billowing out as he took two steps forward and thrust his arm out as far as he could. Draco and Harry moved forward about five feet, until the wand put them into full light. Ginny let Lupin follow them before she did, staying toward the back of the group. Harry was watching Snape with a forced calm, his jaw working furiously as if he were literally biting the words he longed to yell back. She reached forward, as if to place her hand on him in a calming manner, but decided against it. Instead, she watched them stare at each other.

Her former teacher was tall and impressive, his dark eyes looking over them powerful, his arm out. Ginny watched as he slowly lowered his wand, leaving it only high enough to where he could see their forms outlined in the darkness. She felt her anger come back, the way she had felt when they left her and Hermione alone returning to her mind. He turned to Draco.

"Did them come to rescue you?" He asked curtly.

Ginny stepped in. "Yes, we did. No thanks to you."

Snape didn't even bother to acknowledge her, still looking at Draco. "Did your mother get out safely?"

"Yes, she's fine," Draco said apathetically. "Have you run into anyone down here?"

"No, no one yet. I have it under very good authority that we're getting close." Snape shifted slightly, his arm tensing up as he did so. Ginny looked away. "Do you have it then, Potter?"

Harry froze. "Yes. It's in my robes."

Ginny noticed Snape smirk slightly, as if he wasn't approving of Harry's answer. She glared at him.

"Keeping it nice and safe, I see," Snape said.

"If this is all to work out with no one in this hallway dying," Harry said curtly, "you had better keep your mouth shut. I want to deal with the bigger problem before I even start with you."

Snape's eyes flashed in the light of his wand, the pale and aged features on his face twisting into a sneer. Ginny could feel the tension in the air, but she couldn't do anything about it. Draco looked as if he were caught in a trap, not knowing how to react to what was being said. Finally, Lupin stepped forward, the answer to it all wrapped in his mind.

"This is for later," he said. "We're getting through there now, you should get on with it soon."

Harry nodded, as if shook out of his anger by something greater than his and Snape's problems. He reached down into his robes suddenly.

"Don't take it out now!" Snape hissed. "Are you mad?"

Harry looked at him sourly, "It's not that. It's _this_."

He pulled out a long and shimmering cloak, unfurling it slightly to inspect it. Ginny admired the designs and intricacies of it, the fabric sliding smoothly over the ground and Harry's hands. He turned to her, holding it out and looking very serious.

"Put this in your robes. If anything bad is about to happen, or if I even look at you with concern, I want you to put it on without a word. Don't say anything when we get in there if you can. I don't want any attention drawn to you or your being here. Don't try to come at me with the cloak, or to interfere in anything that happens. If I get . . . don't try and save me. Do you understand, Ginny?"

Ginny looked at him sadly, her mind filled with all sorts of terrible images now. She felt like crying, she felt like collapsing against him to keep him from it all. Slowly, she took the cloak, looking at him all the while. Her eyes and heart felt heavy as she nodded.

"Good," Snape said quickly. "Follow me closely. Weasley, you need to stay near the back of the group."

Ginny didn't even bother feeling angry at him as she did so. Draco gave her a sympathetic sort of look as Snape opened the left door. Harry disappeared after Snape's cloak, Lupin going in quickly next. Draco, taking Ginny's hand after she stashed the cloak away, led her through the doorway and into a large and lighted sort of arena.

They were standing in the middle of a large room, the bleacher-styles seats raised up and sitting around them. The room was a large circle, the floor they walked on a glassy and dusty marble. A large platform stood in the middle of the room, three chairs sitting like thrones upon it. Ginny almost felt her heart stop as she spotted him, standing there in all of his evil sort of splendor. The red eyes stared at them from slits, his terrible snake-like smile meeting them as they stood before him. Draco covered Ginny with himself slightly, staring up at his sitting form in fear and sadness. Snape and Harry stood at the forefront, eyes both fixed in anger.

"Nice of you to join me, Potter," said his cold voice. "You never did like to travel alone, did you?"

"Not really, no," Harry said bitterly. "Looks like that's something we have in common."

Voldemort's smile twisted into a foul leer as he looked down at Harry. "My travels are none of your concern. You seem to be quite connected to me lately, boy. Got something of mine right now, don't you? I can feel it. I know it is here. Give it to me now and you can live."

Harry looked at him, diminished, but still strong. "I think it belongs to me now."

"Oh? We'll see about that . . ."

Snape suddenly stepped forward. "You've taken enough, I think."

Voldemort turned his authority into a look of exaggerated stupor. "Really? My, my . . . how _rude_ of me."

Ginny felt fear creep through her. Draco was not moving, staring up in the same sort of utter terror. She gripped his hand tightly in her own fear. Lupin stood tall next to her, his hand reaching out to place on her shoulder, as if to steady her. She was thankful for him. His fatherly presence slowly went through her, some of the worry being replaced now by alert reality. The situation didn't weigh her down as much, but she still felt the same anxiety as Snape stared Voldemort down with defiance. She felt some sort of respect for him in the way he was standing up to his former master. From what she knew, he had betrayed him, not unlike he had done to his other master. His other ally . . .

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," Harry said. "One slice and one spell and you would be through. Two spells, really. Two very dark spells. I think at this point, I've gotten quite used to _throwing_ them about . . ."

Voldemort laughed mirthlessly. "The mighty have turned just as sour as those that he does despise. I never thought I would live to see the day that Harry Potter tossed the Killing Curse around as if it were nothing more than a small threat."

"You wouldn't expect half of the things I have done."

"Oh, really? I would have thought that you'd find me a little more open-minded, what with all of our adventures together. Get your mind straight, Potter. Think about what you're doing here. Talking of killing off the greatest wizard of all time? _You_? A mere _boy_? I have to admit . . . I have heard far more amusing things lately."

Snape looked infuriated. "You wouldn't be sitting so tall if you knew that this was your last hope,_ master_. One last piece of the puzzle to be thrown into the gutter. No more of your torture will befall this world once we're through with you."

Ginny was stunned. Snape aligning with them? Their cause always seemed to be of little concern to him, even when he was heavily affiliated with the Order. Ginny looked at him in awe. She could see Harry's hand twitching on his wand, ready to strike. She felt her own move to her robes in the event that she should have to get into the cloak.

"This is the last of your time," Harry said. He pulled out a long glittering chain, a familiar locket hanging down on the end. "I believe this belongs to you."

Voldemort stood quickly, his face showing open outrage and anger. "Put it down, boy. You have no right—"

"It is my choice," Harry said. "If I were to destroy this, you would be easily defeated. That power you cling to would be gone. You would be _dead_."

He looked as if he had been punched in the stomach at those words. Ginny watched as the hate and power flew from his red eyes, worry filling them. Voldemort's greatest fear was being realized. He was becoming what he most feared: _mortal_.

He pulled his wand out quickly, the gesture shocking everyone. Harry moved fast as well, just as Voldemort had his wand pointed at his chest, he had ducked, the locket being shoved into his robes and his other arm thrust out to point right back at Voldemort. Ginny reached into her robes shakily, drawing out the Invisibility Cloak and pulling it over her head with one last look at Draco. She watched as Snape and Draco ran forth, Lupin doing the same. Harry yelled an incantation just as Voldemort did, the locket zooming from his robes and dropping in midair. Harry quickly pointed his wand at his own arm, slicing a long and fine cut and running at the relic. The red blood dropped onto the charm, Harry's eyes ablaze.

The next few moments flashed in Ginny's mind slowly. Draco looking around to find her, ignoring what else had happened. Lupin attempting to stun Voldemort, who was actually running for the locket. Snape roared a loud curse, the room shaking and rumbling as it hit Voldemort in the chest. Ginny fell backwards, the cloak sliding off of her as she hit her head on the marble floor. She heard yells and blasts, then everything was quiet as she slipped into a soft sleep.


	39. Chapter 39

_Chapter Thirty-Nine_: **Displacement

* * *

**

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

A bright green light met Ginny's eyes as she woke up from her sleep. The room was spinning, her head heavy. She blinked against the harsh light as it died out. She heard frantic voices, familiar voices, and yells of pain. The air was thick with smoke, her hair falling about her face. She looked around, trying to get her vision back fully. The room was blurred, but she could make out dim figures scrambling around the room, some falling to the floor. She noticed someone running at her, and felt something heavy on her legs. She tried to stand, but she was pinned to the ground.

"Ginny, get up," said a boy. Ginny looked up, trying to see him better. The smoke was too thick. "It's me, Harry. Get up, Ginny. For God's sake, just get up . . . Hermione, get him off of her! Get over here now! We need to get out of here."

"What? What . . . what happened? Harry, stop pulling at me," Ginny said hoarsely. "Harry, why is it so dark? Stop pulling on me like that!"

Harry looked at her with fear, his face close to hers. "You got knocked out, Ginny. You got knocked out when the ceiling started to fall. We're all fine. He's dead, Ginny. Lots of people are dead . . . you're safe. Let me get you up. Stop struggling. _Hermione! Get over here now!_"

Ginny closed her eyes in pain. Harry was tugging at her forcefully, trying to get her out from under whatever was holding her down. Hermione appeared over his shoulder, her face blackened and her robes torn badly. She reached out, grabbing Ginny's arm and tugging.

"Did you tell her? She can't see it . . ." Hermione said painfully. "She just can't see it . . ."

"Did you kill him, Harry?" Ginny asked, gasping. She leaned against Harry, who now had his arms around her waist and was pulling. "I can't get my legs loose. Is Voldemort dead?"

"He's dead," Harry said. "He's dead and he's gone for good. We have to get out of here now, they're starting to get their strength back. The Aurors have it from here. You're not in the condition to stay here. I have to get you out safe. I have to get you out."

Ginny looked at him desperately. "Where's Draco? Is he gone already? Did he leave without me?"

Harry groaned, pulling hard now. Hermione pulled as well, the thing pinning Ginny down rolling off of her legs and releasing her. She fell forward against Harry hard, his arms still around her. Hermione let go, looking at them both in fear.

"I have to get Ron, Harry. Don't let her see it!" Hermione ran off.

Ginny looked past Harry, trying to find out what was going on. She could make out the dark robes of several Death Eaters, on the ground and flailing about. Masks and capes and robes littered the floor, people running about like mad. Hermione was near the altar in the middle of the room, helping Ron up from the ground. She put her arms around him tightly, crying into his shoulder. Ron did about the same, his face screwed up to keep from letting go completely. Bill was running toward Harry and Ginny, but was stopped by something else. Harry pulled Ginny up with him, wiping her clothes slightly and holding her arm firmly. Ginny tried to turn around, but Harry wouldn't let her.

"Let me go," Ginny said forcefully. "What are you hiding?"

Harry's eyes were clear and staring at her in pain. "We don't have the time, Ginny. Come with me."

"No, Harry. I want to see —"

He grabbed her other arm, pulling her slightly to try and get her to move. Ginny twisted, trying to get out of his grasp. She didn't want to hurt him, but she wanted to see what they were hiding from her. Lupin ran past them, going to the center platform. Ginny could see a dead body hanging over the side of it, her heart rising at the sight. It was over, all of it. Voldemort was defeated and Harry was still alive. They were all still alive. Nothing bad _had_ occurred. She knew it would go this way. She looked up at Harry happily, then remembered what was happening. Hermione was watching them, her eyes open with anxiety. Ron looked puzzled, then looked at the ground behind Ginny in horror.

"What is it?" asked Ginny severely. "Let me see it, Harry. I need to know!"

She wrestled against him, banging her fists against his chest. Harry stroked her hair slightly, still holding her firmly. She knew what he was doing. Ginny wouldn't stand for it. She couldn't forget about what was happening, no matter how hard he tried. All she knew was that they were hiding something from her and her only. Something they knew would upset her. If only they would realize that it was worse not to tell her. If only Harry would just let her go.

Harry shook his head, "No time, we have to . . . come on. It's too dangerous. We have to get out of here now. Stop struggling, Ginny! There's . . . nothing . . ."

Ginny stamped on his foot, his grip lessening enough for her to turn around. He yelled at her, trying to grab her arm. She didn't get a good look before Harry tackled her to the floor, his arms around her waist once more and trying to pull her back. She closed her eyes, yelling at him hysterically. Her arms struggled against him as she rolled over, trying to see what they were all so scared of. Ron and Bill were running over, Hermione's face appearing over Harry's shoulder just before Ginny managed to get onto her stomach. Several bodies were on the floor, some she recognized and some she didn't. Her eyes scanned around until she caught sight of it. She screamed in anguish, her eyes staring hopelessly at the spot. Harry buried his face into her back, as if the sight of her pain was too much to bear.

Right next to her, gray eyes staring back lifelessly, was Draco. Ginny breathed heavily, ignoring Harry yelling at her, his voice wavering slightly. It sounded like he was crying, but she couldn't tell that well. All she saw was Draco. Those eyes reflecting her horror-stricken face. She started to sob. She tried to reach out to his body, but Harry was pulling her too hard. She kicked at him, trying to get to Draco and help him. She needed to get him out of here, just like she needed to get out. She couldn't leave him there like that. She couldn't just abandon him. He was laying there, his hair over his pale face and his mouth closed tightly. He was what was pinning her down. He had been trying to protect her. He had been trying to keep her safe. They couldn't have just . . . he wasn't . . .

"No, no . . . Harry, he needs us to help him. He's not safe here alone. H-He's not . . . not . . ."

Harry looked back at her with real tears in his eyes. "Ginny, please stop. Don't look at him like that. He's dead, Ginny. Stop making this so hard on yourself. Come with me, please. I can't let you stay here like this."

"I can't leave him! He doesn't have much in this world, Harry. I can't let him go out like this!"Ginny began to sob uncontrollably, still fighting Harry off in her despair.

She screamed when a strong hand grabbed her arm, pulling her up with ease and force. She looked up into the dark and wild eyes of Snape, his face screwed up as he pulled her after him. He turned away, not saying a word to her. Hermione and Harry followed after. Ginny turned as they ran, Ron coming up beside her. Bill was still back in the room taking care of other people. Ginny wanted to go back. She needed to get him. He was worth more than this.

"I know what you're thinking," Snape said as he pulled her. "There's nothing we can do for him now. He'll be taken from here later . . . once this is all sorted out. I promise you'll see him again. Somehow . . ."

Ginny looked at Snape thankfully. They ran up the hall now, the trip taking not even a fraction of the time it had before. Snape sped through the halls of the dungeon with accuracy and intent. Ginny let the pain of running wash over her, trying to forget. She only thought of getting out now. Of getting home to her mother and sleeping forever. Never to wake up and think about this day again, that being much too hard.

"We have to get Molly!" Lupin yelled from behind them. Ginny hadn't noticed him join the group. "She's just up this way, Severus."

Snape nodded, stopping gracefully in front of a room. He blasted the door open, not even making Fleur and Molly flinch. Mrs. Weasley took one look at the state of Ginny and clapped her hands to her mouth.

"Dear, what happened?" She walked to her, Snape not letting go. "Tell me what's wrong, Ginny darling."

Ginny shook her head, tears coming back. "Not now."

Mrs. Weasley nodded at her, following them out with no more words. They went through the halls in silence, their speed more intense now that the would not have to stop. Ginny looked at Snape with worry. She didn't know if this was effecting him or not. She couldn't tell from his eyes or his mouth or his face. He looked like a statue of himself, running about the halls and trying to keep everyone safe. The roles were so blurred now . . . no one was what they were before. No one was the same.

* * *

The rain poured down around them, the small clearing dry despite. Ginny looked down at her feet, the new shoes that Fred and George had bought her staring back up at her in their dreary black horror. Her dress fell to her ankles, enclosing the pale skin comfortingly. She looked slowly back up, feeling a strong arm now around her shoulder. His green eyes looked into hers understandingly, and she knew in that moment that no matter what happened, she would at least have him. Thunder clapped above them, but no one moved or took notice. The air was somber and desolate.

Not many people had come to this event. Narcissa Malfoy stood on the other side of Ginny, her long blonde hair braided down her back, her black dress covering her feet. Her hands were gloved and holding her neighbor's, his own uncovered. Ginny looked at Snape with interest. She had never seen him so earnest in his stance. He wasn't slouching, and he wasn't standing with the usual sort of haughtiness. He looked as if he were there for one purpose, and one purpose only: to comfort. Ginny smiled at him even though he wasn't looking at her.

Harry was watching him also. Ginny had noticed him keeping his silence around Snape now. She never knew what happened in the room that night, how Voldemort died or who was the one to kill him. She never asked. No one did. The general assumption was that Harry had done the deed, but Ginny thought there was more to it. Harry never protested to Snape anymore, and Snape never sneered at him again. They were tied into something she would never understand, and for once . . . she was grateful for it.

Hermione and Ron were there, but looking very put upon. No tears were shed by anyone other than Ginny and Narcissa, the only two that anyone would have expected to cry. Other than those already mentioned, there were only two others. Mrs. Weasley had been advised to stay at home by Ginny, who didn't think that it was necessary. Her father was on duty now, helping with the exhausting effort of hunting down the last ten remaining Death Eaters. When Ginny heard that Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers had gotten out alive, she was not surprised. They would be free for as long as they wanted, but she knew that no hard would come from them.

The other members of the small group were Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom. Though they had not come together, they were there for the same purpose. Luna looked very somber, but very attentive for once. She sent Ginny a friendly smile from the other side of the casket. Ginny smiled back, trying not to cry again. Neville was standing next to Luna, Ron and Hermione on the other side of him. Ginny looked away and back at the open coffin.

"Draco might not have been a good boy," Narcissa said to them all suddenly, "but he was honest about himself. He never lied about who he was . . . Pride and all of that might seem to be vices, but I found it encouraging to see it in him when we had nothing left to be proud of. He never let me down . . ."

Narcissa buried her pale face in Snape's chest. Ginny looked away as she started crying again. She felt Harry squeeze her shoulder. She looked up at him again, his face smiling at her warmly. She was, no matter how silly it seemed, glad for all the smiling. They didn't like him and they never would, but they all cared enough about her to come. The small group stood in their enchanted clearing, the rain not disturbing them at all. Ginny looked now at Draco's body.

Harry let her go as she went to the casket, holding the side tightly. Staring down at his face like this was so weird. His eyes were closed now, and his hair was smoothed back. His hands were clasped over his stomach, dressed in the finest dress robes money could buy, as Narcissa had seen to that. The thin blonde eyes brows looked smoother than she had seen them before, his face peaceful and relaxed. He hadn't died by means of a curse, she was told. He was knocked out by falling rock and was unable to be revived. Harry told her that he had tried his hardest, and Ginny believed him. She reached into her cloak now, pulling out a long thin wand.

She laid his wand on his chest, making sure it was straight and neat. She thought it would be the most appropriate thing for her to do. Leaning down, her eyes welling up with tears, Ginny kissed his forehead. The finality of the action made everyone's faces fall. She closed her eyes and let a tear slide out onto his cheek, glistening as she opened her eyes to stare at his face once more. No smile was hidden there, but she found comfort in the straight line his lips made.

"Let's go," Ginny said softly, walking back to Harry.

He put his arm around her shoulder and lead her out of the clearing. Narcissa and Snape stayed behind, Narcissa saying that she couldn't leave just yet and would like to be alone with Draco once more. She made Snape stay though. Hermione and Ron followed Harry and Ginny out, hand in hand. Hermione's long dress skimmed the ground as they stepped out of the clearing and into the rain. Ginny didn't even bother to cast a charm to repel the rain again, not having the heart to do magic at a time like this. Harry did so calmly, still holding her. Luna came up beside her and patted her arm, no longer smiling. Ginny was thankful for her seriousness. Luna knew this somehow, and Ginny could tell.

They made their way to the road, Harry holding his arm out for Ginny to grasp. Neville did the same for Luna. Ron and Hermione Apparated first, Luna and Neville following them. Ginny leaned forward, kissing Harry on the cheek and tightening her grip on his arm. When she leaned back, not smiling at him but looking instead calm, he looked tearful. Slowly, he steadied himself and they disappeared into the air, to return in that dizzying way back to the Burrow.

* * *

A/N: This isn't the end! There are still two more chapters to go, so don't leave the story now! I know, it seems very final, but . . . yeah. Expect another update next week, hopefully early on. 


	40. Chapter 40

_Chapter Forty_: **Whole

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**

"He was literally not looking for that outcome," Hermione said excitedly. "I just couldn't believe it myself at the time either, but I knew it once it had happened. The air was thick and all, but I felt calmer. As soon as I came into the chamber, you could see the immediate effect. People were running everywhere . . . it was amazing."

The witch from the Daily Prophet drank in Hermione's words as they all sat in the Burrow's now overcrowded livingroom. Ginny stood on the sidelines, trying not to get bombarded by questions. It seemed as if everyone knew what had happened to the minute . . . everyone but her. She hated listening to all of the talk, but she would feel rude just leaving. Besides, anywhere she went, they would find her. Harry sent her a sympathetic look as he sat with a very familiar reporter. Ginny smirked at him as he looked back to his companion.

"So, let's get this straight," said Rita Skeeter, impassioned. "Severus Snape, the wizard best known for the brutal murder of Albus Dumbledore, beloved former Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is in part responsible for the defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

Her quill flew like fire over the page, her face looking at Harry with intensity. Ginny folded her arms and leaned against the stairs, watching him as well. For some reason, even though it had been a week since the incident, there was a sort of stigma in her asking about what happened. Sure, she didn't really want to know all that much, but it seemed horribly taboo of her to do so, which made her slightly curious. Forbidden things never appealed much to her, something she supposed ran in her family.

Ron and Bill were upstairs sleeping. Bill had fallen out the day after the incident from exhaustion, at which point their mother, stunned and outraged, found out that he had not slept in three days with all the excitement. For the week, she had decided, Bill was to be bedridden. Ginny knew that it wouldn't bother him too much. He was very accommodating, and it also gave him a reason to sleep in every single day without being yelled at. Ron was just being lazy, as well as avoiding another run-in with Rita Skeeter.

Luna was staying with them this weekend, Ginny having invited her over. With their family so close, Luna had invited her father along, who wanted to do a story about the happenings for the _Quibbler_. Mrs. Weasley, a very hospitable mother, found it slightly alarming when Mr. Lovegood arrived with a full staff. Seven people aside from him was a bit much for their house to hold, she had protested. Ginny laughed when Mr. Lovegood pointed out how very thin they all were, and how large of a backyard she had. This horrified Mrs. Weasley, who didn't realize that he was telling her he had it covered. Needless to say, the backyard now held a rather shabby tent. Luna showed Ginny around in it, and it was very nice inside. She said that it had been a gift from her mother's family a very long time ago, but they never had a reason to use it.

With Hermione spending so much time tending to Ron, which she claimed was necessary after all that he had been through, Ginny was left alone a lot. Luna was good company every now and again, but with all that had taken place, Ginny was finding herself wanting to be more reclusive than ever. Surrounded by people stopping in to thank Harry, as well as people coming to offer their support and admiration of the rest of the house's occupants, Ginny went off on her own a lot. As much as it hurt at first to visit that place, her favorite haunt became the old clearing that she had spent that night with Draco in. Though it was slightly out of the way, Ginny didn't mind. The long walk gave her time to get away, as well as an excuse to come home late. Harry kept to himself in the same way, but Ginny always saw him staring at her during dinner.

Their eyes met again as he started to explain things to Rita Skeeter, about how he couldn't say much more without consulting Severus himself. The quill jotted down about two pages more than necessary, which made Ginny uneasy even as she watched Rita reassure Harry that nothing would go into print for quite some time. With their luck and Rita's willingness to keep a promise, they would be seeing a ten-page exposé by the end of the week. Ginny sent him a soft smile and a head nod, motioning upstairs. He nodded to her as softly as he could, Rita not even stopping in her words to notice the movement. As he started to tell Rita good day, Ginny walked around and headed up the stairs.

The hallway was filled with things, both gifts and everything else imaginable. After all that went on, no one seem to want to do anything except tend to the needs of others, which caused the house to become quite cluttered. Ginny stepped around the stuff and went into her room, finding it empty. She sat down on her own bed, pulling her legs up and sitting with them folded. She clasped her hands together and looked around as she waited for Harry.

Luna's cot was in the center of her room, Ginny having insisted that she sleep in the house. A few of Luna's robes and dresses lay on the made cot, things Luna must have washed or just laid out for some reason. Shoes and socks littered the floor, Ginny's room having become the ideal place to hang out before heading off to bed. Ginny never really socialized when her brother's and Hermione, hardly ever Harry, would come in and talk all night long. She would listen to them at length, eventually falling asleep in the middle of one of Hermione's long sort of monologues. The next morning she was always awoken by a very cheery Luna.

She turned slightly to stare out her now open window. The winter morning was quite warm, as all the weather had been lately. Harry said that it had something to do with Voldemort's defeat, but Ginny never listened past that. All she knew was that the beauty of the sky reminded her of happy times, which inevitably led to bittersweet memories of everything she lost and all that she had been through. Her mother, after hearing the events, had tried to help her by telling her that she still had a loving family and that she still had Harry, but Ginny didn't want to think of it that way. At least not yet. She wanted to grieve for a little while, it being the healthier thing in her mind. It made her feel whole to think about it all without stopping memories. It made her feel warm despite the coldness she knew she should have been feeling.

The thoughts of Draco had been fewer than she had anticipated. There was some sort of detachment she felt when she tried to become reminiscent. She couldn't cry since they buried him. She couldn't get that pressure off of her at first, but then the pressure simply faded away. She didn't like to talk about it, but she really did try to remember everything about him, just to keep herself from forgetting. The getting over it part was easy, and that frightened her. Hermione was no help to her lately, and Luna tried her hardest but wasn't what Ginny needed. The faces she used to long to see became so empty to her now, nothing holding solace or anything else. Nothing but Harry's face of course. She remembered him standing over her with fear in his eyes, those tears he had for her. It _hurt_ him to see her that way. It hurt him to think of her broken like that.

The floorboards creaked behind her, footsteps signaling the presence of another. Ginny turned around and smiled at Harry, looking up at him as he walked over to her. She didn't say anything when he didn't sit down. It would have felt weird if he had.

"Are you holding up well in all this?"

Ginny nodded, "I'm pretty good at staying out of the media, I would think. Better than the rest of my family at least."

"Ah," Harry said sagely, "you must have forgotten about your little tirade this fall . . ."

She looked at him curiously. "You actually . . . wow."

"What?"

Ginny shook her head, "Nothing really. I just . . . you're the first person to mention Draco to me since the funeral. Everyone else gets so uncomfortable about it all. Well, everyone but Luna. She's always willing to talk about anything."

"Do you not want me to?" Harry looked at her seriously. "I mean, if you don't think it's time for that kind of talk, it still being so early, I understand."

"No, it's fine. Kind of nice to talk about it, actually." She smiled. "Luna always tends to get a bit off subject though. I don't know if it's because she's getting uncomfortable or that she has so much happening in her brain that she can't stay on one thing at a time."

Harry laughed, "It could be anything, knowing her."

She sighed softly. "Are _you_ all right with all of this?"

"Talking about Malfoy?"

"No, the media . . ."

Harry laughed nervously, "Oh! Yeah, I'm all right I suppose. You know me, I can't get away from it even if I try. Rita's mad though."

"Even I know that," Ginny said conversationally. "Thanks though."

"For what?"

She looked at her hands. "For you know . . . keeping them away from me. Not talking about Draco more than you had to in front of them, too."

Harry shifted where he stood nervously. "No problem."

"Harry?" Ginny whispered, not looking up.

"Yeah?"

Ginny swallowed slightly. "I'm really glad you're still alive. I don't know if I ever said it, with all that went on that night, but I'm happy that I . . . _we_ still have you with us. Don't know what we'd do without you, really."

Harry stepped forward, bending down and lifting her face to look at him, "I want to tell you something too."

"What?" Ginny asked, breathless but not looking away.

"For one thing, I'm glad that Draco sacrificed himself for you. It's not that I'm happy he's dead, it's just that . . . If there was anything that would ever make me see him for even a fraction of what you do, it was that. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't still have you. I wouldn't be able to tell you now how much I love you, and how grateful I am for what you just said."

She stared at him earnestly, "That means a lot, you know. Not just what you said about Draco either."

"Would it be too stupid of me to assume that you feel the same?" Harry looked at her innocently.

Ginny smiled, "Not at all, Harry."

He laughed, letting his hand fall from her face. Ginny closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again as Harry sat down next to her on the bed. She put her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly and leaning against his chest. Harry patted her back, no longer laughing but breathing very slowly.

"I was scared, I have to admit," Harry began in a whisper. "This whole time, I didn't know how this would affect you. After you broke it off with me the first time, I felt lost. I realized that you must have felt that way when I left you for what I did. In some ways, it was the same, you know? In some ways . . . I wish that I could have seen what would have happened. I hate that this all had to go bad for you, after all that you went through to find him and to bring him back like that. It's too tragic for me to think about, so I know you must feel terrible."

"Harry, you don't have to . . ."

Harry shook his head, Ginny feeling it rather than seeing it. "No, I want to tell you this. I can't ever know what you think, and I can't even wonder about how you've been hurt by all this, but I want to be here for you. I told you once before how I felt, and I know that you were all for it then. You say you love me now, and I love you more than I ever have. When you're ready, and once this has all passed in your mind, I want you to just think about what I asked you before."

Ginny looked up at him in shock. "Are you sure? You still want to marry me?"

Harry nodded. "Nothing could change that, Ginny."

"And you're saying that you're even willing to wait?" Ginny felt a weird feeling in her stomach as she said these words.

He smiled back at her brightly. "I'm willing to wait as long as I have to, Ginny. I just want to be there for you."

Her eyes became moist with tears once more, but she didn't not cry for sadness. She smiled crookedly at Harry, leaning against him once more. Not talking to him for the whole week was just as easy as letting Draco disappear from her memory, but she was glad for Harry being here now. A sadness welled up inside of her as she thought that thought once more. Draco disappearing from her memory . . . it was all too much. She felt Harry run his fingers over her hair lightly, his other arm around her steadfastly. He would really be there for her through it all. He had been, even when she didn't want him to be. He was faithfully and devastatingly hers.

She sat up, not wanting his arm to slide from around her when it did. They both looked up as someone was heard running up the stairs. Ginny sent Harry a look of alarm as Luna came running into the room, a _Daily Prophet_ clenched in her fists.

"You need to see this, Ginny," she said holding it out as she came to them. She looked amused as she spoke again, "I got it as it arrived just now. They've lost him, Ginny. It's absolutely _horrible_."

Ginny looked at her in confusion, taking the paper and unfurling it. There, on the very front page, was a picture Ginny had never expected to see in her entire life, as well as a headline that nearly made her keel over in shock:

_**Draco Malfoy's body, one of the devastating losses in the fight for the Wizarding World, has disappeared from its coffin. **(Details inside, along with an eye-witness account.)_


	41. Chapter 41

_Chapter Forty-One_: **Denouement

* * *

**

Ginny stared at the paper for a moment, her eyes watching as the profile of Draco sneered around his frame. She didn't know how this was possible. He was _dead_. How could his body just disappear? It wasn't possible, it wasn't logical, and it certainly was not good for her mental state. She felt Harry take her hand and squeeze it, as if registering to her that this was all happening. She wanted to yell out in pain, not physical, but mental.

"Perhaps you should read more, Ginny. Things might become clear. The _Prophet_ is very deceitful, and though I don't trust them, I do find this all very interesting." Luna said stoically.

Ignoring the overwhelming desire to glare death at her, Ginny simply shook her head at Luna and opened the paper. Harry leaned in close to read along with her, his eyes flitting much faster than hers. Ginny felt her head start to ache as she read:

_**Mayhem of the Misplaced Malfoy**_

_Last night, midst the return of their faithful groundskeeper (Squib and friend of the family, Johnston Marriot), the remaining members of the Malfoy family received a terrible shock. On his rounds through the family cemetery, Marriot was faced with a very grim scene. In the middle of the family plot, the newly dug grave of beloved son Draco was found to be unearthed, the coffin thrown several feet from its place. No body or trace of a person remained inside, not even the family relic that was Draco's own wand, placed inside as a sort of last wish._

_Marriot, stunned, recounted the tale to us this morning._

"_I comes back from gettin' something from the market, garden charms and ready-made spells and the like, and I finds the coffin just tossed out and broken there. I run inside in a hurry, knowing that Mistress would be wantin' to know 'bout this straightway, and find her asleep. She wakes up with a sort of scared look on 'er face and I tells her the news. We run back out to look at the site and finds nothing, all the while Mistress yelling about a wand and new developments and the like. After that, she called the Ministry and had 'em come abouts to look around the grounds . . ."_

_The lady of the house, Narcissa Malfoy, was not available for comment. We will have more news once more information is confirmed. As of now, the grounds of Malfoy Mansion are under strict watch by the Ministry, though no one has come forward with talk of foul play. _

Ginny looked up, her eyes unfocused. Draco's body was gone for sure, and his wand as well. She was a smart girl, and she had gotten to know Draco very well. The lines all added up and brought her back to one conclusion: _He was still alive._ She knew very well that if she told Harry and Luna, they would think she had gone crazy. Harry at least . . .

"Your mother is downstairs getting rid of most of the press. They were just called in, most of the _Prophet_ workers at least, so I expect it will be a little less crowded. If you don't mind, I think I should show this to Ronald."

"Isn't he still asleep?" Ginny asked Luna.

"No, he's been pacing the halls for hours."

Ginny shook her head, handing Luna the paper. "Go on. I need to talk to Harry anyway. Tell Ron to come in here once he's read it. And, if you don't mind, could you go get Hermione for me?"

Luna just nodded slowly, turning on her heel and twirling slightly as she went from the room. Harry turned and looked at her urgently.

"He's alive, Ginny. He's alive and he's . . ."

Ginny felt relief wash over her. "I knew I wasn't being irrational."

"We have to find him before anyone else does," Harry said. "Of course, knowing him, he'll probably be heading here soon. I hope everyone's gone before he does. I mean, we can't just have everyone seeing him like that."

"Harry, I think I should find him myself," Ginny said softly.

Harry looked worried now. "No, I'm sorry, but you can't just go off like that. Just because Voldemort is dead doesn't mean that people aren't still out there waiting for a chance to kill. You should wait and see if he comes to us."

Ginny sighed, looking around as she tried to make up her mind. Every fiber within her was telling her to go and look for him, her body wanting to move and get on with it. Harry was watching her with a sort of sadness, and she knew what he was thinking. He thought it was over for sure between them. She didn't know if it was, but she couldn't just tell him that. In her mind, with all this coming up so soon, it was better to let him worry rather than have to feel that guilt for lying to him. She didn't know what was going to happen. She never did know with these things.

"Now we know that the drama doesn't always end with the defeat of a major, crazed warlord," Ron said, coming into the room. Hermione came in him after, from the other direction. "This is absolutely mad, if you ask me."

Hermione looked upset, "So, do you think someone took his body?"

"No, I have a strong feeling he did it himself."

Ron and Hermione both looked confused. Ginny sighed, not knowing what to say. Harry stepped in for her, as if he was trying to get his mind off of things as well.

"It doesn't make much sense for someone to steal his body, does it?" Harry started and, getting no reply, continued, "I mean, lots of people wanted him dead, so no one would just take his body like that. It's pointless, and it wouldn't change anything anyway. The way this article described Narcissa's reaction, it just seems like she thinks he's still alive. We all know Malfoy, and I just don't think he's dead."

Ginny felt doubts rise inside her. "But . . . I mean, I got a really good look after and he looked dead in all sense of the word. His eyes were open, he was unresponsive to your revival, and . . . it seems like he was dead. I don't want to think that, I mean . . . I _want_ him to be alive, but I think maybe I should doubt it a little . . ."

Harry shook his head, "No, you all know as well as I do that nothing is what it seems anymore. For all we know, he could have been faking it this whole time."

It was Hermione's turn to shake her head now. "I don't think he would fake it, Harry. Maybe someone cast a spell on him so that we would think him dead . . ."

"No, I saw it happen. Hermione, he got hit in the head with falling rock trying to cover Ginny's body. He ran and jumped on her and got knocked out. I tried to get him up and to find some way to get him awake, but nothing worked. He got cold and I had to go away. That was about the time that . . . you know . . . and then Ginny woke up and he was still just . . ." Harry covered his face with his hands for a moment, then took them away, looking at Ginny with sorrow. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have . . ."

"No, it's fine. Look, I think you're right about this, Harry. We should wait here until tomorrow and see what happens. If he's alive, he might come here. If we don't hear anything else about it, we might have to start making visits to see if anyone has seen him . . ."

Feet padded into the room, Luna having returned now with a grin on her face. She appeared to have heard what Ginny said.

"You won't have to worry about that," she said cryptically.

"Why not?" Harry asked, fear in his voice.

Luna smiled wider. "Because I have something to show you."

She walked out of the room without saying anything else, going down the stairs as everyone got up and followed. Ginny noticed as they went through the livingroom how quickly everyone had left. Her mother wasn't even inside, but she saw a few people in the kitchen as they passed. Luna led them all out the front door, heading for the garden with excitement. Ginny felt her heart thump wildly in her chest, her mind thinking fast. The day was beginning to give way to night as they made their way down the path.

They all stood in the garden, Ginny staring down at the ground in blind shock. She couldn't move, she couldn't talk, she couldn't even blink. Draco lay in the middle of the weeds, his face covered in dirt and his clothes slightly torn. The dress robes that had looked so neat and perfect were now in ruins. His hair was no longer slicked back, his eyes were closed. He wasn't asleep, she didn't think, but he wasn't dead. Harry and Ron both knelt down, getting a closer look.

"He's breathing," Ron said in a daze.

Hermione looked urgent, "Get him inside, maybe Molly can sort him out. Are you all right, Ginny?"

Ginny nodded dully, still staring at Draco. Ron and Harry hoisted him up without a word, neither of them being cautious about it. Luna stood on her tiptoes as they exited the garden, as if to get a better look. Hermione motioned for Luna to follow, taking Ginny by the arm gently and leading her inside. As they walked up the pathway, Ginny's head started to spin. She felt dizzy and disconnected, afraid and uncertain. The ground started to spin and she felt herself faint.

* * *

The next thing she knew, she was sitting in a chair in her bedroom, beside the bed. She looked around, rubbing her eyes. The room was dim, suggesting that she had been out for a long time. Night shown through her open window as she looked at her bed. Next to her, asleep and a little less dirty, was Draco.

"Oh," Ginny gasped, leaning forward and looking at him with sadness.

She stood up and sat down gently on the bed next to him, putting a shaking hand on his. He looked less drained now, his chest rising and falling calmly. Ginny squeezed his hand a bit, looking down at him as he slept peacefully. She heard the floorboard creak behind her.

"Hey, Harry . . ." Ginny said softly, letting go of Draco.

"I was just coming to see if you were awake. Your Mum wants you to come downstairs for a bit, if you feel up to it."

Ginny nodded, not looking away from Draco. "I'll be down there in a minute."

She heard the dull clunk of his shoes on the floor coming toward her, not away. Ginny turned around, sitting back up. Harry stopped in front of her, looking down desolately at her face. Ginny stood up, the distance between them being much too small, but she not caring enough to move. Something told her that it was better for her to be close to him right now. He had something to tell her, she could tell. She could always tell when Harry was eager to talk to her. He looked weary, his hair ruffled more than usual and his shoulders slumped slightly. Ginny watched him as he started to speak, trying to look supportive.

"I think we shouldn't be together, Ginny," Harry said quietly, not looking away. "You have to help him right now. There's no time for you and me."

Ginny felt confused. "Are you serious?"

Harry nodded. "He needs you much more than I do."

"It's not a matter of who needs me more, Harry. It's a matter of who I love and who I want to stay with for the rest of my life. You still love me back, don't you? I don't care what I feel for anyone else, I'll still feel the same for you . . . forever, Harry. My feelings don't change that easily."

"I do still love you back, Ginny. I love you more than you could imagine, more than I should at least. I love you enough to know that you want to be with him, and that whether or not I stay around you and make you guilty for that, you'll still love him."

Ginny sighed, "I can't help who I love."

"I know that," Harry said with a bit of annoyance. "He's a mess right now. I saw what happened when you thought he was dead and gone. You should stay here with him and sort things out. I have a lot to do still, a lot of things I never finished and a lot of people I've neglected. Right now, with the end of war and all of the stories people will want me to tell, I don't have the time to keep you from Draco. I can't stand it, and I just want you to be happy. I know this will make you happy, even if you don't."

He started to turn, as if to leave and be dramatic, but Ginny grabbed his arm. "Listen to me, Harry. There is nothing you can say that will make me leaving you easy. I don't care how much you try to justify it, but you won't make me say that it's all fine and dandy. I can love you and him both, but I can't be with both of you. Sure, I had made my mind up before, and I still think that way, but I don't like hearing you talk like this is all the end of the world. We'll move on, Harry, but you can't make this end without difficulty."

"You do choose him, then?"

Ginny nodded, not even hesitating. "That doesn't mean that I don't want to see you ever again."

"Just come downstairs, Ginny," Harry said painfully. "I don't care what you say . . . I don't know how I can be close to you after all of this. I accept your decision, but it just hurts too much."

"Get used to it," Ginny said bitterly. "Iwent through itall summer . . ."

Harrylooked at her doubtfully. "I'll try, if that's what you want."

"You owe me, so there is no_ try_ to it. You will or you won't . . . there is no in-between with this."

"I will," he said. "I will. Now, you have to do something for me."

"What?" Ginny asked, expecting something terrible.

"You have to come downstairs and talk to your family. They have some big news for you," he said, smiling slightly.

Ginny nodded, taking one last look at the calm and sleeping Draco before she followed Harry down the steps. They were met by a much smaller group than Ginny had imagined. There was no Hermione, and no Luna. Harry gave her a woeful little grin and continued walking out the front door. Ginny stopped and sat down on the couch next to Ron. Fred sat on the other side of her, George sitting across from them in a chair that was next to the one their mother was sitting in. Ginny looked around apprehensively.

Ron was looking around nervously, his hands tapping lightly on his leg. He gave her a short but indescribable look before turning and staring at the wall opposite them. Fred was looking around the room intently, his eyes darting from one thing to the next. George was simply sitting with his hands clasped and his face set. He regarded her for a moment, then looked at his mother as she began to speak.

"Your father will be here soon, so we should wait for him," Molly said, looking very sad. Ginny sent George a curious look, but he didn't look move. "There's nothing wrong, dear. I just wish that you're father would get here so we can talk about this seriously."

"Are you sure? You all look like someone's . . . died . . ."

Ron's eyes grew wide and he began to laugh. Ginny jumped at this. Fred sent her a sympathetic look, as if apologizing for Ron's blunt behavior. After all the years she had spent with him, she knew that nothing could possibly be wrong if Ron was laughing. She looked at George again, who had reached over and hit Ron upside the head. Mrs. Weasley slapped his hand lightly, glaring at him.

"Be nice. He's just a little nervous right now," she said.

Ginny tapped her foot as they all waited for her father. She looked around the room, finding nothing out of place. She looked up, along with everyone else, as Mr. Weasley came through the front door, Hermione following him uneasily. She nodded at Fred as he offered his seat to her, and gave Ginny a very wobbly sort of grin as she took it. Ginny surveyed her with curiosity.

"All right," Mr. Weasley said, looking around interestedly. "What was so important that I had to leave in the middle of my work day? Aside from the recent discoveries and returns from the dead . . ."

George looked up at him seriously, "Ron's got a little news for us all."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Ron. He didn't look at her. Instead, he stared up apologetically at his father. Hermione looked around Ginny to give him an encouraging smile. This was all too confusing to her.

"What is it? I should like to hear quickly, they're expecting me back. Why you couldn't have just sent me a some sort of message instead of making me take an early break, I have no cl–"

"I've asked Hermione to marry me!" Ron covered his mouth as if he had just yelled an obscenity.

Ginny stared in excited disbelief at Hermione, who was blushing bright red and looking ready to run out of the room in embarrassment. The twins both had identical looks of interest as they awaited their father's reaction. Mrs. Weasley was doing the same, only she was twisting her apron in her hands. Arthur looked at Ron with amazement.

"Two out of seven in one year! Not bad, not bad at all!" He turned to Hermione, smiling. "Just like Molly and I . . . starting young, indeed."

Everyone was completely stunned. Ginny laughed aloud after a moment, prompting everyone to let go and breathe. Hermione's eyes filled with happy tears as she stood up, hugging Mr. Weasley greatly. Molly came over, taking Hermione from him and embracing her fit to smother. Ron grinned proudly at his father, who was patting him on the back heartily. The twins were still sitting down, acting surprisingly sober for this outburst of news. Ginny went over to them, looking at the curiously.

"What's got you two so sour?" she asked calmly.

George sighed, "It's not that this is bad or anything . . ."

"Yeah," Fred nodded, "it's just that . . . we're obligated to stay another month. At this rate, we'll completely miss out on all our Christmas crowd."

"And what with Voldemort being no problem, families will be looking for a reason to celebrate."

They both sighed in unison, looking at the floor woefully. Ginny laughed, hugging Fred for no reason whatsoever. She just wanted a reason to be happy again. She was glad for this. She was glad for them, for Ron and Hermione, and for the happy return of Draco.

After all the commotion had died down, and Harry and Luna had come back into the house, Mr. Weasley turned to Ron as a glowing father. "When's the wedding then, son?"

Hermione smiled, "Well, we were thinking about a nice Christmas wedding. Out in the snow and such, with reasonable weather precautions, of course. I always wanted a winter wedding . . ."

The twins groaned loudly. Ginny shook her head, still beaming.

* * *

A/N: So, that's the last, and super long, official chapter. Of course, with my thinking so much about it and still having a little more to write about, as well as feeling bad that Draco had no speaking parts in the last two or three chapters, I'm writing an EPILOGUE.It is due out by Monday at the latest, so look for it. This should tide you over for a bit, though . . . Haha. It'll be nice and long, hopefully, and very final ( for once ). 


	42. Chapter 42

_Epilogue

* * *

_

Her mind never changed, and she knew it was what drove him away. Hermione and Ron were at the table with her, writing out a long list of names and arguing over who would come and how they would get them there. Luna could be heard chasing Pig about the house, her attempts to catch him and a letter proving to be very futile. Ginny sighed, looking around in boredom. Draco was out with his mother getting things for the house, and she was left alone for the week. What a long week it was turning out to be.

With only four weeks until the wedding, Hermione and Ron were spending every waking moment together. Ginny's parents were out as well, Bill and Fleur having invited them out for the day to do some shopping. They would be home soon, though, as it night had just fallen. Ginny couldn't help but feel lonely at times like this. Even though Hermione had asked her only two days ago if she would be her Maid of Honor, and Ginny had excepted the role gladly, she still felt like she had no place around the wedding planning.

Of course, her assumptions were mostly correct. The only thing that they asked her about were dealings with Draco and his behavior. Hermione wasn't worried, but Ron still had his doubts. Ginny didn't care if they trusted Draco anymore. To have them feel like he was at least worth their effort was enough for her. Anyway, Hermione and Ron both had most of their wedding party assembled. The only thing left to do was get dresses and suits, along with started in on choosing the location and talking with the family about all possible aspects and precautions that were needed. Ron was still trying to track Harry down for the role of Best Man, but Ginny knew that would take a lot of time.

The day after the news came, more news seemed to float to the house. Harry left without any real explanation, though Luna seemed to be oddly quiet about it all. Ginny remembered how she woke up in her room to find Harry looking down at her that morning, and how he sighed and left quickly when she said his name. Hermione told her that he was probably just trying to get away, but Ginny had a feeling that she had done this to him. Harry wasn't the sort to back away from a challenge, and to her, she felt that she was still his challenge. Draco disagreed, siding with Hermione. He probably just didn't want to believe that Harry would try to take her back.

"Ron, we _have_ to invite Narcissa," Hermione was saying patiently. "Draco's already coming, we can't leave her out."

"She doesn't even know us!" Ron said indignantly.

She gave him a stern look. "We have plenty of room on our guest list. I'm not going to leave anyone out. I think she should come, and I'm putting her on the list."

Ginny smiled as Hermione leaned over with the quill, knocking Ron's hand away as she quickly wrote down the name. Ron folded his arms over his chest childishly, looking very surly indeed. Hermione sent Ginny a grin, then turned back to the task at hand. Luna came into the room, holding Pig in her hand and looking slightly ruffled.

"Letter for you, Ginny," she said, handing a roll of parchment to her.

Ginny took it and unrolled it, reading it quickly. Hermione and Ron were looking at her expectantly, so she shook her head.

"It's just Draco," she said. Hermione and Ron looked slightly let down. "He says that he ran into Charlie at the shops, and he's coming home later tonight."

Ron looked happy, "There's someone we can mark off the list, then. No point in sending him an invitation if he's headed our way. Doubt he'd even need one . . ."

Hermione swiped her quill cleanly over a name, then looked back at Ginny. "Is he still on schedule then?"

Ginny nodded, "Yes, he'll be here in a couple of days. Do you want me to write him back to tell Narcissa, or are you just going to mail her an invitation?"

"We'll just send her an invitation with everyone else. You can tell him though, if you want."

Luna sat down next to Ginny, yawning. "Will your parents be home soon?"

"Yeah," she rolled the parchment back up and stood. "I'm going to go and write him back, if you don't mind."

Ron and Hermione sort of nodded slowly, both not really paying much attention to her. Ginny rolled her eyes and headed out of the room. The twins were sitting on the couch, drinking from mugs and listening to the wireless. They had been staying out of everyone's way lately, and Ginny wondered if they were still sore about the wedding being so soon. They looked up when she came in, motioning for her to come and sit with them. Ginny sighed, going to the chair and sitting down.

"What have you two been up to? Tired of our company?"

Fred laughed, "I'm not too amused by the lovely couples arguments anymore. Decided it would be best if we just got out of their hair for a bit."

"Did I hear you say that Charlie'll be here tonight?" George asked, setting his cup down.

Ginny nodded, "Yes, I suppose you did. Why?"

"Oh, just making sure. It's not like we get to see him everyday, you know," Fred said. "Mum and Dad should be back sometime soon. It's getting a bit late now."

"Yeah, I was thinking of going to bed, actually," Ginny said.

The twins both nod, Ginny being so used to it that it doesn't strike her as odd. Getting up, she sighs and goes around the couch, telling Fred and George goodnight as she hurried up to her room. She closed the door slowly, going to her bed and sitting down with a quill to write Draco back. Her words were simple, as they had been lately. She told Draco that she was looking forward to his return, just because she was bored out of her mind. Finishing the letter with the news of Narcissa's invite, she signed it with a simple, "Love, Ginny" and rolled it up. She didn't want to send it out yet, so she stuck it on her dresser, then curled up and pulled her blankets over herself.

She wasn't soreserved aboutHarry. Harry seemed to think that no one noticed his absence, or thought that they would all just forget about him. Ginny wished that she had handled it differently. She didn't want to choose him, but she wished she hadn't tried to make him suppress his feelings. Hermione, after hearing about it extensively, seemed to think the same. Harry wasn't the kind of person to take things lightly, and he never gave up easily. Ginny should have known that something was wrong as soon as he left. None of them thought he would be gone this long though. And without word as well . . . that was intensely strange.

Still, no one worried about his well-being. She wondered if he might be staying with Lupin somewhere. That was a stretch though. She thought he might be off with someone no one knew of, that way it would be easier to stay away from letters and memories. The door opened downstairs and people were heard greeting each other loudly. She could hear Charlie's familiar voice, as well as Bill yelling for Hermione and Ron. Ginny curled up more, closing her eyes tightly. She let their voices fade away as she fell asleep.

* * *

"We don't have time for you to go again, Harry," Hermione said from the door. "You should just stay here until the wedding. It's only a week away, you know. Ron's had hell getting you to even talk to him. Don't make him even more upset."

Ginny wiped her eyes as she sat up. It had been weeks since she even heard Hermione say that name, and now it was even more shocking to her. Ginny got out of the bed and walked up behind Hermione, peeking over her shoulder to see Harry standing with his arms crossed. He was wearing a dark traveling cloak, his hair in the same disarray as usual. Ginny's eyes widened as she caught his stare.

"I'll stay, but don't expect me to . . . Just don't make me regret it, all right?"

Hermione nodded, sighing at the same time. "You're different, Harry."

He rolled his eyes, "I am not. I'm just the same as I was before."

"Think what you will," she replied. "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to get some lunch before you run off again."

Ginny jumped as Hermione left the frame, taking away any sort of cover Ginny had come to rely on. Harry looked at her with amusement, not smug amusement. She blushed and went after Hermione. Harry grabbed her arm.

"Don't think this is about you," he said more for his own sake than her's. "I'm beyond that now."

She didn't say a word to him. She didn't want to play his game. Draco was waiting for her downstairs, and she had already kept him waiting for too long. Sleeping until noon was not something she normally did, and Ginny was sure that they all noticed. Harry let her arm go after a minute of her glare, then walked down the hall without saying anything else.

As she came into the kitchen, she found that she was right. Everyone stared at her, Draco being the only one to actually get up to greet her. Hermione sat down next to Ron, snatching a piece of his lunch. Ginny hugged Draco as he came to her.

"We're glad you're finally awake," her mother said from the sink. "We didn't want to have to leave you behind . . ."

"Leave me behind? Where are we going?"

Hermione smiled at her, "You forget things so easily. We have to go and get my dress, Ginny. We're meeting all of the girls at Diagon Alley."

The task came back to her. She did remember, but she was to wrapped up in Harry being there to let it come to her fully. Hermione hadn't had been able to get all of the girls together until this day. Ginny remembered even helping her choose the date. Sighing, she looked down at her clothes.

"I think I might need to get ready then . . ."

Draco laughed, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be seeing you later."

Ginny smiled at him and left the kitchen quickly, going up the stairs quickly. She got her clothes on swiftly, choosing a simple pair of jeans and sweater. She grabbed her wand and pulled on shoes before opening her door again. She frowned, finding Harry standing there unexpectedly.

"I'm not going to argue with you anymore," she said quickly. "I have to go soon."

Harry looked at her morosely. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It was harsh."

"Don't worry about it," Ginny said impatiently, trying to get around him.

"No," he stopped her. "That's not what I mean. Ginny, I am over you, but I don't want you to think I hate you. I just . . . I'm tired of not feeling strong in this situation."

Sighing, Ginny looked at him. "You don't have to make excuses. I'll take what you tell me with no anger. I'm living now, Harry. I'm glad to see you doing the same."

His face showed that he couldn't see anything else that needed to be said. Ginny patted him on the shoulder, then walked around him quickly.

* * *

"The wedding was beautiful," Narcissa told Ginny. "I can't believe how wonderful you made this place look . . . I was never big on a winter wedding, though. Even _with_ precautions . . ."

The procession had gone so smoothly that Ginny herself was surprised. Harry and she walked down the aisle, arm in arm, and she didn't even feel uncomfortable. It was entertaining to see Luna walk down with her brother George, his face holding a smirk and her's an airy sort of smile. She looked so ethereal that Ginny had to remind herself that it was Luna, and not some heavenly being. George kept smiling at her even after they had came to the end of the walk, and even after they had parted. Luna didn't notice this. She was too busy staring openly down the aisle, waiting for the other members. Fred walked with Tonks, who had been more than willing to be in Hermione's wedding party. Bill and Fleur walked last.

The snow had been enchanted to give off no cold, so it was set on either side of the aisle, between the pews and the walkway. It was beautiful to behold, and Ginny had felt slightly envious of how nice it all had turned out. She thought about how eventful Fleur and Bill's wedding had been, and how low-key this was all turning out to be. After Ron came down the aisle, everyone held their breath to see Hermione and her father come down. Ginny smiled at her friend, looking perfectly flushed and flustered. The whole thing was very delicate and light, something they all needed after the end of all this.

"The idea was a bit of a risk," Hermione interjected, "but I was glad to take it. Thank you for your compliment as well."

Narcissa smiled at her vaguely. Ginny found Draco's mother to be quite amusing. The idea of her complimenting Hermione's wedding was still so surreal to her, but it seemed to be fitting. Ginny smiled at Hermione slyly. Draco was off talking with one of the late guests, a woman Ginny had considered to be impossible to get in contact with in the first place. Ron had insisted on inviting her after Hermione started to make all sorts of late additions, and Ginny was one of the only people to back him up besides Draco. The thought was amusing still . . . Hermione had actually played into her jealousies long enough to think that Ron did it out of spite. Ginny knew her brother wasn't _that _crafty.

"I think I'll go and join them, if you don't mind," Ginny told Hermione. "Shouldn't you be getting back to Ron anyway?"

Hermione sighed, "I was looking forward to mingling, actually. The way I see it, I have the rest of my life to deal with Ronald and his annoying, but adorably amusing, immaturity."

"Go easy on him," Ginny said, laughing. "He _is_ your husband now."

Both of the girls laughed, getting up from the table. Narcissa looked around and sighed, slightly woeful in her ways. As much as Hermione had wanted her to come, she knew that the possibility of her assumed guest getting welcomed openly this early after the events was very unlikely. Snape had allowed himself the day to do whatever he did when he was alone. Ginny didn't really like to wonder about such things. All she knew was that Narcissa looked incredibly unwelcome. Ginny knew what she had to do. Draco should have known better than to leave his mother alone like that, especially without taking the effort to introduce her to anyone there.

"Don't look at me like that, dear," Narcissa said suddenly.

Ginny frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You shouldn't worry about me feeling lonely. I can amuse myself fine enough."

With an impatient look, Narcissa made it very clear that she wanted to be alone for a bit. Ginny left her with a smile, hurrying through the crowd to find Draco. As she moved past the familiar faces of family and friends, Ginny felt someone take hold of her arm. She hesitated for a moment, knowing that it could be one of two people. She didn't want to face him, but she knew that it was only fair.

"I know it might seem stupid of me to ask," Harry began, "but could you at least have one dance with me? It might be shocking to you," he said with a smirk, "but I haven't had too many offers."

Ginny, reluctant but willing at the same time, slipped her arms about his shoulder. The movement didn't even shock him, something Ginny was glad for. He put his arms around her, maintaining amazingly perfect distance from her. The music around them was soft and low, but she felt more upbeat than she could have thought possible. Things seemed to be settled, even with Harry and his disillusionment toward what had once been their relationship. He was looking at her straight on, and she knew that things were becoming clearer to the both of them.

With this and that going on, the swell of war and the death of so many, maybe it had been silly for them to get so attached. She should have known better in the beginning than to think of Harry as abandoning her. He had so much on his plate . . . what could she have expected? Sure, she was still sore about it all, but she couldn't help but think that having that happen was the right thing. She loved Draco now, but she wasn't tied to him forever. She couldn't ever imagine herself feeling that way for a long time. She knew what Harry thought about the two of them, as if Ginny and Draco had the same relationship that she had once shared with him. Mistakes were made in thinking that, but she wouldn't tell Harry so. Draco was a comfortable love, no matter how ignorant or impatient he could be. Harry was too much for Ginny. And in time, she hoped that he would realize that.

"Many have fallen at the doom that is my feet," Harry said suddenly.

Ginny laughed, "You're doing fine."

He smiled, "Good."

The simplicity was a nice change. "Glad you came through for my brother. We were all a bit worried about you. It was quite strange actually . . . not being able to rely on the utterly reliable."

"I didn't mean to make anyone worry about me. To be honest, I think I just had enough of being around so many . . . memories."

"I guess that makes sense," Ginny said softly. "I'm glad you came back anyhow."

Harry smiled, "You already said that."

She shook her head, "No, I mean . . . other than just coming through for Ron. I'm glad you came back. You have a place in our lives no matter what happens, Harry. I think that you know that. I think that could have been one of the many things that brought you back."

"I think you know too much for your age, Ginny."

The both laughed. The song ended as Ginny felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Rebecca Beaumont beaming at her. Harry looked at Ginny incredulously. She let one arm slide from his neck as she leaned close to him to whisper something.

"I think you're free now."

She let him go and slipped away, leaving him to smile at her as she left. Ginny wasn't being cryptic, she was being honest. Rebecca slid her arms around Harry quickly, not allowing him the time to reject her advances. Ginny shook her head to herself, smiling widely. Just as she turned around to go find somewhere to sit, she felt another hand take her. She faced him coyly.

Draco smirked at her, "Thought you could hide from me all night, did you?"

Placing her arms around him, Ginny put her head on his shoulder, "You're just too smart for me. What am I going to do with you?"

"I can think of plenty of things . . ."

Ginny rolled her eyes and sent him a playful pout. "You're trouble, aren't you?"

"Goodness," Draco said. "You've known me for how long, and you're just now realizing this? I have much to teach you, my dear."

The music played loudly in her ears as she laughed at him. Over his shoulder she spotted Hermione dragging Ron onto the floor, his face beet red and his eyes wide with horror. Love was coming and going that night, and Ginny was amazed by it all. She hoped that no more weddings would crop up anytime soon. If her parents expected her to follow in those footsteps, they would be sorely mistaken. Draco was a good man, but she wasn't ready to be tied to a Malfoy for life. She wasn't sure she could handle _that_ obligation . . . no matter how tempting it was.

* * *

A/N: THE END. Finally. I like the end of this though, so if you don't . . . I'm sorry. This was one of those "please yourself before all others" sort of things. Still, I do hope you liked it. I'm much too self-conscious to play it off for _too_ long. Thanks for all of your reviews and praise, I really appreciated every comment I received! See you in later works!


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